Attitudes Towards LGBT People 2008

The survey aimed to describe explicit opinions towards lesbian women, homosexual men, bisexual women and men and transgender persons (LGBT-persons) in Norway today. We did a survey with national representation among 1246 persons in the age 16-80, during April-May 2008. A broad specter of themes was covered by 180 questions. The presented report divides the responses into thirteen themes, mainly based on gender, age, education, city/countryside, religion and degree of support of traditional gender roles.

The survey was conducted through internet.

The survey shows three main trends:

1. The majority was neutral or positive in general questions about their opinion on lesbian women and homosexual men. For women there was a great majority, whilst for men a smaller majority. The same situation was also shown for more explicit questions about specific situations and reactions, even though there were tendencies for more negative responses in these cases. In questions about their opinion about lesbians and homosexuals rights to become parents, about one third reported a negative attitude. About one out of five says that they do not know a lesbian women or a homosexual man.

2. A majority was neutral or positive in general questions about their opinion on bisexual women and men. For women there was a great majority, whilst for men a smaller majority. Around half of the respondents said that they do not know a bisexual woman or man. Transsexuals: a majority was neutral or positive in general questions about their opinion on transgender persons, that is to say a person moving between being a woman and a man. A majority says that they do not know a woman or a man who moves between being a woman and a man.

3. Gender differs: more men were negative than women, especially towards homosexual men, bisexual men and male transsexuals, and to give lesbians and homosexuals the same rights to become parents.