Asian Americans demonstrated the highest level of support for same-sex marriages and laws protecting L.G.B.T. people from discrimination in a new survey, The New York Times reports. The results were part of a survey of more than 40,000 Americans’ views on L.G.B.T issues conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute.
The survey found that 75 percent of Asian Americans respondents supported same-sex marriage. The group with the second highest amount of support was the group of respondents who identified as another race or mixed race (68 percent). About 73 percent of Asian American respondents supported laws that would protect L.G.B.T people from discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing. That number was four percent above the national average.
Education might explain why those percentages are slightly higher compared to other racial groups. The survey found a strong correlation between education and support for L.G.B.T. rights. Asian Americans were more likely than other Americans surveyed to have a four-year degree.
The report also found that a majority of Asian Americans surveyed (59 percent) opposed allowing business owners to refuse services to L.G.B.T. people based on their religious beliefs. About 60 percent of younger Asian Americans opposed refusing service based on religious beliefs. However, only 49 percent of Asian American seniors opposed service refusal.
According to the report, the majority of Asian Americans surveyed supported rights for L.G.B.T. people. However, many L.G.B.T Asian Americans still face discrimination and hardships. More information about the L.G.B.T. Asian American experience can be found through groups like AAPI Data, the Human Rights Campaign, and the Asian American Psychological Association.
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