Attitudes toward lesbians, gay men, bisexual women, and bisexual men in Germany

TLDR

The study surveyed 2,006 heterosexual Germans to assess attitudes toward lesbians, gay men, bisexual women, and bisexual men. Results indicated that younger age, female gender, and knowing a homosexual person were associated with more favorable attitudes, men favored female homosexuality while women showed no difference, attitudes toward homosexuals were more positive than toward bisexuals, and both same‑sex and opposite‑sex attraction as well as political party preference significantly predicted attitudes, underscoring that attitudes toward lesbians, gay men, bisexual women, and bisexual men are related yet distinct constructs.

Abstract

Attitudes toward lesbians, gay men, bisexual women, and bisexual men were assessed in a national representative sample of 2,006 self‐identified heterosexual women and men living in Germany. Replicating previous findings, younger people held more favorable attitudes than older people; women held more favorable attitudes than men; and men held more favorable attitudes toward female than male homosexuality, whereas women did not differentiate. However, women held more favorable attitudes toward homosexuals than toward bisexuals, whereas men did not differentiate. Knowing a homosexual person was an important predictor of attitudes, as was political party preference. Both same‐sex and opposite‐sex sexual attraction were substantially related with attitudes. Our findings support the notion that attitudes toward lesbians, gay men, bisexual women, and bisexual men are related but distinct constructs.