22 Dec 2015

Survey reveals attitudes to LGBT in China

WorkForLGBT have released their annual survey which states that one out of five Chinese know someone openly LGBT and four out of five support workplace equality.

The objective of the is to gain an understanding of perceptions towards the LGBT community in China and assess the degree of support for the LGBT community in society, business, and the workplace.

The survey, conducted in cooperation with YouGov and PFLAG China, covered an urban population with a sample size of 4,000.

The survey found that 77% agree that workplace culture should welcome all employees regardless of sexual orientation and 72% believe LGBT people should have equal rights in terms of job opportunities.

There is less agreement on broader social questions, with 48% saying homosexuality should be accepted by society and 39% supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage.

It also highlights the pace of change in attitudes to LGBT in China. 38% say their attitude has become more supportive over the past several years, while just 8% say less supportive, and 54% report no change in attitude. This is even higher for 18-24 year olds, 43% of which have become more supportive in recent years.

Founder of WorkForLGBT Steven Paul Bielinksi said of the survey: “the power of living truly and ‘coming out’ with love is evidenced in our survey results. Support for same-sex marriage nearly doubles from 34% who don’t know anyone, to 60% who have openly gay family, friends, or colleagues.”