Canadians Support Protection of The LGBT+ Community, But Declining Support May Indicate a Step Back in Progress

Most Canadians agree that that same-sex couples should be able to marry or have legal recognition, should have the same rights to adopt children as heterosexual couples, and that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people should be protected from discrimination. Support for all of these is higher in Canada than the average of 26 countries globally.

Support among Canadians for various aspects of LGBT+ visibility, including LGBT+ characters on screen, in sports, and in public displays of affection, is lower now than three years ago. Support in Canada is lower in most cases than the 26-country average.
 

Consistent with 2023, a strong majority of Canadians support protecting transgender people from discrimination in employment, housing, and access to businesses. On specific measures in support of transgender issues, however, Canadians continue to be more divided and express lower support than in 2023. Support is lowest for health insurance coverage of gender transition and allowing expansive gender options for government-issued documents, both of which are also well below the average of 26 other countries.

Three in ten Canadians have spoken out against someone who was prejudiced against LGBT+ people. While on par with the average of 26 countries, this is lower than in 2021. The proportion of Canadians who have visited a bar or nightclub that caters primarily to LGBT+ people or have attended a public event in support of LGBT+ people is slightly higher than the global average, while the proportion of Canadians who have attended the wedding of a same-sex couple is slightly lower.

Canadians aged 50 to 74 show higher support for protecting LGBT+ people from discrimination in different aspects of life compared to younger Canadians. However, when asked about specific actions, younger Canadians are more likely to be in support, including allowing transgender people to use single-sex facilities that correspond to their gender, and health insurance systems covering the cost of gender transition no differently than the costs of other medical procedures.

These are the results of a 26-country survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform between February 23 and March 8, 2024. For this survey, Ipsos interviewed a total of 18,515 adults aged 18-74 in Canada, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Türkiye, and the United States, 20-74 in Thailand, 21-74 in Singapore, and 16-74 in all other countries.

The sample consists of approximately 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, and Türkiye. 

The data is weighted so that the composition of each country's sample best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data. "The Global Country Average" reflects the average result for all the countries and markets in which the survey was conducted. It has not been adjusted to the population size of each country or market and is not intended to suggest a total result.

The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with a poll where N=1,000 being accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and of where N=500 being accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points 
For full methodological details on the study, please refer to the full Ipsos Global LGBT+ Pride Report for 2024.
 

For more information on this release, please contact:
Sanyam Sethi
Vice President 
Ipsos Public Affairs Canada 
[email protected]

Meghan Miller
Senior Account Manager,
Ipsos Public Affairs Canada
[email protected]

Galini Pantelidou
Senior Account Manager,
Ipsos Public Affairs Canada
[email protected]

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