Which countries are the most homophobic? Which countries are the most accepting of homosexuality? The Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project recently polled about 1000 people in each of 40 countries and asked them, “Do you personally believe that homosexuality is morally acceptable, morally unacceptable, or is it not a moral issue?”
The results might surprise you.
Most Americans, given the media’s focus, might peg Uganda and Russia as the most homophobic countries in the world, and the U.S. — while hardly the least, but among the least. Most Americans would probably be wrong.
About 71 percent of its 46 million citizens are Roman Catholic, yet Spain checks in as the most accepting, or least homophobic country in the world. Only six percent of Spaniards deem homosexuality “morally unacceptable,” 55 percent call it “acceptable,” and 38 percent — almost four out of 10 — say homosexuality is “not a moral issue” at all. In short, 93 percent are A-OK with being gay.
Germany comes in a close second: only eight percent see homosexuality as morally unacceptable, 51 percent as acceptable, and, again 38 percent as not a moral issue.
Rounding out the top ten most accepting — or least homophobic — countries are France, the Czech Republic, Canada, Britain, Australia, Italy, Argentina, and at number ten, Japan.
No, the United States did not make the top ten list. It comes in at number twelve, with more than one in three people — 37 percent — calling homosexuality “morally unacceptable,” just 23 percent saying homosexuality is acceptable, and 35 percent saying it is not a moral issue.
What are the top ten most anti-gay, or homophobic countries in the world?
Ghana comes in at number one. Just one percent say homosexuality is acceptable or not a moral issue. A whopping 98 percent say it is “morally unacceptable.”
The rest of the top ten anti-gay list:
Egypt
Jordan
Palestinian ter.
Indonesia
Uganda
Tunisia
Kenya
Malaysia
Nigeria
Russia, having made headlines the past year for its anti-gay laws that almost make being gay illegal, came in at number 14. 72 percent — almost three out of every four Russians — believe homosexuality is “morally unacceptable.” Just nine percent see it as acceptable or not a moral issue.
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, the tiny nation of Brunei wasn’t polled, but since the government there just decided to stone gay people to death, there’s a good chance it would have made the top ten anti-gay list.