A protest against homophobia in Berlin | Photo: Flickr/Marco Fieber
A new poll from Playboy Germany reveals most Germans are tolerant and supportive of LGBTI people, but not Muslims. The poll shows changing attitude over the course of several years.
Playboy Germany polled over 1,000 men and women about their attitudes towards aspects of LGBTI and Muslim life.
70% of them said they ‘wouldn’t care’ if their child was gay. The same amount also support a law requiring insurance companies to cover gender confirmation surgery for transgender people.
There are similar majority attitudes towards Muslim people, but not in support of them.
55.7% of Germans said they would not want a mosque near their home. This statistic is high compared to attitudes about Christian churchs (16.6%), Jewish synagogues (25%), and Buddhist temples (25%).
A large majority, 70%, also said it was a good idea to ban teachers and public servants from wearing hijabs.
Changing attitudes over the years
Feelings of Islamophobia also show up in feelings towards refugees.
The image below reveals more and more Germans are against refugee homes in their area. The attitudes have increased since 2016.
German attitudes about refugees | Photo: DW
As it reveals, every area except Southern Germany, has increased discriminatory attitudes about refugees.
Not every refugee is Muslim, but some are and there are presumptions about refugees being predominantly Muslim.
Other similar studies confirm the changing attitudes of LGBTI people in comparison to Muslims.
An earlier study from German Bundestag shows that since 1990s, people have become more tolerant of LGBTI people but less tolerant of Muslims, just as the Playboy poll reveals.
An earlier poll about LGBTI and Muslim attitudes | Photo: DW
Dr. Melanie Steffens, a social psychology professor at the University of Koblenz, tried to explain the differences.
She explained ‘there is the perception for some that Islam threatens the liberal social order’. Further, some people might presume Muslims ‘hold “more different” values to German culture than the LGBT community does’.
H/t: DW
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