Summary
The ILGA-RIWI 2016 Global Attitudes Survey on LGBTI People in partnership with Logo (the leading entertainment brand inspired by the LGBTI community), is the first global survey to ascertain public attitudes to LGBTI people. RIWI Corp. surveyed nearly 100,000 respondents from 65 countries on their attitudes toward LGBTI people and issues. The survey fielding used RIWI Corp.’s patented Random Domain Intercept Technology™, which targets random Web users around the world, including remote locations, who are surfing online through an anonymous opt-in survey.
Initial findings from the Global Attitudes Survey show that attitudes towards the LGBTI community have become more favorable over the past five years across the world, but reinforce that acceptance is far from a reality in dozens of countries around the world.
Country Selection
The 65 countries surveyed in this study were selected for geographic representation across and within the Americas, Europe, Asia (including the Middle East), Africa, and Oceania. Those selected were hypothesized to represent a diverse range of social conditions for LGBTI people, ranging from the most hostile to the most inclusive, according to ILGA members’ work in those regions. The 65 countries include:
| Algeria | DRC | Italy | New Zealand | Spain |
| Argentina | Dominican Republic | Jamaica | Nicaragua | Sweden |
| Australia | Ecuador | Japan | Nigeria | Thailand |
| Austria | Egypt | Jordan | Pakistan | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Bolivia | Fiji | Kazakhstan | Papua New Guinea | Turkey |
| Brazil | France | Kenya | Peru | Uganda |
| Canada | Germany | Malawi | Philippines | Ukraine |
| Chile | Ghana | Malaysia | Poland | United Arab Emirates |
| China | India | Mali | Portugal | United Kingdom |
| Colombia | Indonesia | Mexico | Russia | United States |
| Costa Rica | Iraq | Morocco | Saudi Arabia | Venezuela |
| Croatia | Ireland | Mozambique | Serbia | Vietnam |
| Cuba | Israel | Netherlands | South Africa | Zimbabwe |
Questionnaire Design
The questionnaire was designed to capture hitherto unavailable data on global general population perceptions of LGBTI people. The goal of the survey is to build a longitudinal, comprehensive, and interactive global data resource available to citizens, policy makers, and LGBTI advocates across the world.
The survey questions were designed by Aengus Carroll, a researcher on LGBTI socio-legal situations and ILGA Consultant, and ILGA Director Renato Sabbadini.
Questionnaire advisors include ILGA Co-Secretaries General Helen Kennedy and Ruth Baldacchino, Logo/MTV Networks Senior Director of Communications and Public Affairs Rich Ferraro, and Logo/MTV Networks Public Affairs Coordinator Mathew Lasky.
The questionnaire was optimized for Random Domain Intercept Technology (RDIT) by RIWI Global Head for Citizen Engagement Eric Meerkamper and RIWI Project Manager for Citizen Engagement Zack Medow.
First, a professional translation service conducted all translations from English, and these translations were then reviewed and edited by local-area LGBTI human rights experts recommended by ILGA.
Data Collection
The survey fielding approach for this study used RIWI Corp.’s (www.riwi.com) patented Random Domain Intercept Technology™, which targets random Web users around the world who are surfing online by typing directly into the URL bar. When these users make data input errors, such as mistypes on non-trademarked websites that RIWI owns or controls, or by typing in websites that no longer exist, these potential respondents may be exposed to an anonymous opt-in survey on the website.
The data collection period spanned November 30, 2015 – April 15, 2016. The bulk of the data was collected during January and February 2016.
In total, 96,331 respondents completed the full battery of perceptions of LGBTI people.
345,977 respondents completed demographic questions and answered one or more questions on perceptions of LGBTI people.
Response rates varied from 6%-38% across the world. The global average was 18%.
Response rate is calculated by the number of respondents who opted into the survey and completed the full battery of perceptions of LGBTI people.
Data Analysis
The data were initially analyzed by ILGA consultants Aengus Carroll and George Robotham. The data are currently undergoing further analysis by statisticians working on LGBTI legal and policy issues at a variety of academic institutions. Viacom International Director of International Research insights Anna Noel Taylor also conducted initial analysis on the dataset.
Logo’s Global Ally Campaign, which also highlights results from the study, can be found here.
More information on ILGA and ILGA’s analysis on the Global Attitudes Survey can be found here.