A Gallup poll released Wednesday found that for the first time, a majority of people worldwide say their area is good for gay people to live.
Fifty-two percent of people around the world say that where they live is a “good place” for gays or lesbians, according to the survey, which included responses from 123 countries and locations in 2021 and 2022, and represents the highest percentage since the survey began in 2006.
“Over more than a decade of measurement, the world has become increasingly hospitable for gay and lesbian people, according to global residents — with a small majority now saying their neighbors and community are accepting of gay people,” the survey stated.
When Gallup first asked the question in 2006, just 21 percent of respondents said their area was a good place for gay people to live in. From 2014 to 2019, that increased from 31 percent to 38 percent before jumping significantly in 2020 to 49 percent.
The survey noted that European countries, especially the Nordic ones, are ranked as the best places for gay people. In Sweden, 91 percent of people said their area was good for gay people and in Norway, 90 percent said the same thing.
The poll noted that 81 percent of those surveyed in the United States said their area was a good place for gay people to live.
It added, however, that many countries are still not accepting. In 22 nations, fewer than one in 100 residents say their area is a good place for gays and lesbians to live.
“Gallup has documented massive changes in perceptions of acceptance in countries that span many regions and cultures. But the latest update, like others before it, illustrates the wide range of attitudes that still exist in the world,” the survey reads.
“While 91 percent of Swedes say their area is a good place for gay people to live, for example, 91 percent of Gambians say it is a bad place. Many adults across the world may be answering with their country’s laws in mind — which, in some places, can result in the death penalty — as opposed to their own personal attitudes,” it continued.
The poll was conducted among approximately 1,000 adults in each of the 123 countries analyzed, and has a sampling error ranging from plus or minus 2 percentage points to plus or minus 5 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.