A pride parade in the Indian national capital New Delhi in 2018.Surveys by Pew Research Center found people in Asian nations differ in their views on the legalization of same-sex marriage. (Photo: Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images)
Nov 29 2023
Asians who are not affiliated with a religion tend to support legalizing same-sex marriage, according to the results of a new survey done by the Pew Research Center.
Close to half of Asians or a median of 49 percent of adults in 12 Asian countries, favor legalizing gay and lesbian marriage, the survey report released on Nov. 27 said.
However, 43 percent oppose legalizing same-sex marriage, according to the survey conducted in 12 nations between June 2022 and September 2023.
People unaffiliated with religions tend to welcome same-sex marriage more, the survey shows.
In the six countries, where enough religiously unaffiliated individuals were surveyed to analyze their responses separately, half or more of the religiously unaffiliated supported legal same-sex marriage. That includes 73 percent in Japan.
People in Japan have the most favorable views toward same-sex marriage with nearly seven in ten (68 percent) saying they at least somewhat favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally.
Muslim-majority nations such as Indonesia (92 percent) and Malaysia (82 percent) were opposed to same-sex marriage.
In Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka, about 69 percent opposed it.
The survey found Muslims and Christians are often, but not always, among the least likely to support same-sex marriage.
For instance, while roughly six in ten religiously unaffiliated Singaporeans favor same-sex marriage, fewer than a third of Christians and Muslims do.
In Indonesia and Malaysia, Muslims report the lowest support for same-sex marriage of any religious group in any place surveyed. Only 4 percent of Indonesian Muslims and 8 percent of Malaysian Muslims support it.
Japan is the only country among G7 nations that does not legally recognize same-sex couples.The country has been facing internal and external pressure to legalize same-sex marriage.
In Vietnam, about 65 percent of the adults support the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Roughly six in ten in Hong Kong (58 percent) and Cambodia (57 percent) also favor legal same-sex marriage.
A Hong Kong court recently ruled that same-sex couples hold equal inheritance rights, though Hong Kong law does not allow them to marry.
Same-sex marriage was an important issue before the national election in Thailand this year. Six in ten Thai adults favor gay marriage and about a third oppose it.
The survey was conducted in India before the nation’s Supreme Court rejected a petition to legalize same-sex marriage in October. It found about 53 percent of adults favoring gays and lesbians to marry, while 43 percent opposed it.
In Singapore, about 45 percent favor and 51 percent oppose same-sex marriage.
Though same-sex marriage is not legal in Singapore its parliament amended the constitution last year to prevent legal challenges to the definition of marriage.
Taiwan is the only country in Asia where same-sex marriage is legal, the report said.About 45 percent of people in Taiwan support gay marriage and 43 percent oppose it.
In South Korea, 56 percent oppose legal same-sex marriage and 41 percent oppose it. South Korean lawmakers proposed the first same-sex marriage bill earlier this year.
In most places surveyed, younger adults are more likely than their older counterparts to support same-sex marriage. This difference is most extreme in Taiwan: 75 percent of Taiwanese adults under 35 favor it, compared with 33 percent of those 35 and older.
In five countries surveyed, women are more likely than men to support legal same-sex marriage.
For example, in South Korea, 48 percent of women say they favor it, compared with 33 percent of men. And in Cambodia, 62 percent of women favor it, compared with 50 percent of men.
In other places surveyed, there are no significant differences by gender. – UCA News
