According to a new survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre, a Washington-based think tank, 53% of adult Indians support legalizing same-sex marriage. These findings are from the latest survey conducted by the Research Centre in 24 countries around the world, between February 20 and May 22 this year, to understand how people perceive same-sex marriage, their opinions on the same, and how factors such as religion, politics, and demography influence their views.
According to the Pew Research Centre survey, 53% of adult Indians are in favour of legalizing same-sex marriage. According to the survey’s graph, a considerable 28% of respondents “strongly supported” legalizing same-sex weddings, while 25% “supported it somewhat,” bringing the overall number of people in favour of legalizing same-sex marriages in the country to 53%. On the other hand, 13% of Indian respondents indicated they were “somewhat opposed” and 31% said they were “strongly opposed” to legalizing same-sex marriage or enacting any policy to that effect, bringing the overall unfavourable reaction to almost 43%. Approximately 4% of respondents did not respond to the question.
Given that a significant and a majority section of Indians support making same-sex marriages legal, the survey results for India may be a boost for same-sex couples who recently argued for equal marital rights in the Supreme Court of India. The case was heard by a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the CJI D. Y. Chandrachud, in the month of April, and the judgment in the case had been reserved. Notably, the Union government had vehemently argued in opposition to providing marital rights to any couple other than the heterosexual couples, claiming that doing so violates Indian culture and the heteronormative framework that governs sexual relations. It is further essential to note, homosexuality has been decriminalized in India since 2018, and yet marriage between two consenting homosexual adults has not been legally recognised.
The study results for India further challenges the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) claim that “more than 99.9% of people in the country are opposed to the idea of same-sex marriage.” The BCI, an agency in line with the government’s view, had overstepped its ambit while appealing to the top court to desist from hearing the pleas seeking legalisation of same-sex marriage, terming it “highly inappropriate”. It had rather said the issue of marriage equality between heterosexual and homosexual couples is left to the legislative process. The BCI had stated that the data it released were based on its own survey, however, it never released a survey report that details the methodology, sample size, and other data points. The said resolution of the BCI, departed from its responsibility to promote law reform by opposing a judicial review of marriage laws, was criticized by many groups and individuals.
How queer friendly are other countries?
- According to the survey findings, in terms of global areas, people in Western Europe rose as firm supporters of same-sex marriage, with at least eight in ten respondents supporting it in Sweden (92%), the Netherlands (89%), Spain (87%), France (82%), and Germany (80%). Notably, same-sex weddings are permitted in each of these countries. In Poland and Hungary, however, only 41% of adults favoured the same-sex marriages.
- In North America, approximately eight out of 10 Canadians (79%) support same-sex marriage, as do 63% of Americans and 63% of Mexicans. Essentially, legal marital rights have been extended to the same sex couples in all these three nations.
- In South America, marriage between homosexual couples are supported by 67% of Argentinians and 52% of Brazilians. Both countries have legalized same-sex marriage.
- Over three-quarters of respondents in Australia (75%) and Japan (74%), respectively, support legal same-sex marriage in Asia-Pacific. While same-sex marriage is permitted in Australia, it is not permitted in Japan.
- Same-sex marriage is illegal in South Korea, and the issue is making headlines. In South Korea, 40% support legal same-sex marriage, while 59% oppose it. Same-sex marriage is strongly condemned by Indonesians. Only 5% of Indonesians favour same-sex marriage.
- The acceptance of same-sex marriage is the lowest in Nigeria, which a mere 2% of their population backing it.
Factors affecting views on same-sex marriage:
The said survey examined and recorded sentiments regarding a range of demographic variables, including age, gender, political ideology, and whether respondents believe religion to be essential in their life.
Age: The research also discovered that in 12 of the countries that were surveyed, those under 40 are more inclined than senior people to accept homosexual marriage.
Gender: In 14 of the surveyed countries, women were more likely than men to say they support allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally.
Religion: In general, countries where a higher percentage of respondents said religion was important to them, showed lower acceptance of legalising same-sex marriage. Similarly, people who are not affiliated with a religion are much more likely to say they support same-sex marriage.
Political ideology: Views on same-sex marriage are related to political ideology in 16 of the 18 countries. In these countries, those on the ideological left are significantly more likely than those on the right to favour allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally.
Related:
Same-sex marriage an assertion of love, marriage & inclusivity
Queer and Proud: The last legal challenge to a law that criminalises homosexuality
Right to Same Sex Marriages is not a right that can be claimed: Union to SC