The new study “Immigration Society in Transition” (PDF) conducted by the CDU-affiliated Konrad-Adenauer Foundation also examined how immigrants and their descendants view homosexuality. The findings show that foreigners living in Germany, as well as Germans with a migration background, are now less likely to reject lesbians and gay men than they were a decade ago.
According to the study, 19 percent of foreigners agree to the statement “I do not want homosexual friends” completely or somewhat. In 2015, that share was 25 percent, a drop of six points. A similar pattern appears among Germans with a migration background: 18 percent do not want lesbian or gay friends, compared with 23 percent in 2015.
By contrast, Germans without a migration background are distinctly more open to LGBTQ people: only 7 percent reject lesbians and gays from among their friends. Compared with 2015, there has been no change in this level of acceptance.
Homophobia has risen among people of Turkish origin
The study finds the strongest opposition to homosexuality among people of Turkish origin and among late resettlers. 36 percent of people of Turkish origin agree completely or somewhat that they do not want to have lesbian or gay friends. Compared with 2015, this share has risen by ten points. A similarly high level of rejection is found among late resettlers, of whom 34 percent say they do not want homosexual friends. This share has been stable since 2015.
Among people of Russian origin, the rejection of lesbians and gays is lower at 16 percent and has fallen by a full 23 points since 2015, when 39 percent of those of Russian origin said they did not want homosexual friends. A similar pattern is seen among people of Polish origin, where 16 percent completely or rather agree that they do not want lesbians or gays in their circle of friends. In 2015 this figure stood at 18 percent, on a similar level.
Highest rejection among Orthodox Christians and Muslims
Religion plays a role in anti-LGBT attitudes, confirms the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation study. Confessionally unaffiliated individuals are the least likely to oppose having homosexual friends. Only 6 percent of people with no religious affiliation want no lesbians or gays in their circle of friends. This share has remained constant since 2015.
Among religious groups, Orthodox Christians and Muslims stand out, with roughly a quarter not wanting homosexual friends. Moreover, religiosity also influences anti-LGBT attitudes: religious people are more likely to agree with the statement “I do not want homosexual friends” than non-religious individuals.
For the representative survey, conducted nationwide from early October 2024 to the end of January 2025, about 3,000 people were interviewed, including 1,007 foreigners and 1,003 Germans with a migration background who were born abroad themselves or have at least one parent who fits the criterion. (mize)
