Growing number of people accept homosexuality: survey

In this July 15 file photo, a Seoul Queer Parade participant who claims to support the Rael movement ― a UFO religion that teaches life on Earth was created by an extraterrestrial species ― offers a free hug at Seoul Plaza. Korea Times file

By Jung Hae-myoung

The ratio of people opposing homosexuality has dropped below 50 percent for the first time, a survey showed, Sunday, indicating Korean society is becoming more accepting of sexual minorities.

According to the survey conducted by the Korea Institute of Public Administration of 8,000 people aged from 19 to 69 in September and October, 49 percent of respondents said they do not accept homosexuality.

It was the first time for less than half of the respondents to say so: the ratio of people against homosexuality was 62.1 percent in 2013, 56.9 percent in 2014, 57.7 percent in 2015, 55.8 percent in 2016 and 57.2 percent in 2017.

For other minority groups, 12.6 percent people said they cannot accept North Korean refugees, 5.7 percent are against immigrants and foreign workers, and 6.7 percent against ex-convicts.

By gender, men were less accepting than women of disabled people and children of single parents, and women were less accepting of ex-convicts, sexual minorities, North Korean refugees and immigrants.

By political orientation, the ratio of people calling themselves liberals has increased, while that of people with conservative inclinations has declined, with the gap widening to more than 10 percentage points.

The largest portion of the respondents, 47.4 percent, said they are politically neutral, followed by 31.4 percent who said they are liberal, and 21. 2 percent saying they are conservative.

In 2013, 22.6 percent of people said they were liberal and 31 percent said conservative, but the ratios reversed over five years.

The ratio of people calling themselves liberals was higher among men, younger generations and those in high-income brackets.

For economy, the ratio of people who put more importance on growth rather than distribution has increased from 19 percent in 2016 to 20.6 percent in 2017 and 21.5 percent in 2018, while those stressing distribution have dropped from 17.1 percent to 15.8 percent and 13.7 percent during the same period.

Relations and communication among people have improved. In 2017, 11.5 percent of the surveyed people said they had no one to help them when they got sick, and the ratio decreased to 9.3 percent in 2018. While 25.8 percent of people said in 2017 they had no one to borrow money from when needed, the rate also dropped to 18.3 percent in the latest survey.

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