Where is LGBT support strongest in the EU?

Support for LGBT rights has seen a substantial rise in the European Union, according to the latest data collected by the European Commission. The data collected from a 2015 survey, entitled Spotlight on attitudes towards LGBT people, is part of the European Commission’s larger report Discrimination in the EU in 2015.

In a 2006 survey, only 44% of respondents agreed that ‘homosexual marriages should be allowed throughout Europe’. That number has since risen to 61%. Meanwhile, 71% of respondents agreed that gay, lesbian and bisexual people should have the same rights as heterosexual people; 67% agree that there is nothing wrong with a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex.

Large variations in support still remain country by country, however. Support for LGBT rights based on the above three statements was highest in the Netherlands (96%) and Sweden (95%). Other nations with support over three quarters for each statement included Denmark (at least 87%), Spain (at least 84%), Ireland (at least 80%), Belgium (at least 77%) and Luxembourg (at least 75%).

The most notable increase in support has been in Malta, which in 2012 was rated bottom of all EU nations for protection of LGBT citizens to third overall in 2015 by advocacy group ILGA-Europe.

Author: Donald Armbrecht is a freelance writer and social media producer.

Image: Participants hold a giant rainbow flag during the Brussels LGBT Pride Parade. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir