A boy tells his classmates he has fallen in love with another boy. Two girls walk down the street holding hands. How ordinary does that seem to young Europeans? A new Dutch study makes the question more pressing. Between 2021 and 2025, the share of pupils with a positive attitude towards homosexuality fell sharply. Among boys in secondary school, it dropped from 40 to 22 per cent. How does that compare with the rest of Europe? [1]
The ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map 2026, published on 12 May, offers a starting point. It compares laws and policies affecting LGBTQIA+ people in 49 countries. Spain tops this year’s ranking. Yet first place tells us little about a conversation in a Spanish classroom or group of friends. According to Ipsos research from 2025, just over half of Spain’s Generation Z support LGBTQIA+ people being open about who they are. Support is higher among older Spaniards. [2], [3]
The United Kingdom shows why a lower place on the map does not necessarily mean less acceptance among young people. It ranks 22nd, well below Spain. Yet a large majority of people aged 16 to 29 said in a British survey conducted in 2025 that allowing same sex couples to marry is good for society. The UK’s Rainbow Map score also covers far more than the rights of gay and lesbian people. [2], [4]
Germany ranks relatively high too, taking seventh place with a score of 70 per cent. A 2024 youth study found that the great majority of young people would have no objection to gay neighbours. That is an encouraging sign, although one question cannot capture every part of acceptance in daily life. [2], [5]
Attitudes towards families offer another perspective. In Sweden, a majority of young people agreed in 2024 that same sex couples can be just as good at parenting as heterosexual couples. However, support had fallen since an earlier survey. [6]
Even within a single country, attitudes can differ by gender. A 2026 survey in Norway found that young women were considerably more likely than young men to say that LGBTQIA+ rights reflect their values. [7]
That gap between young women and men is visible in Poland too. There, acceptance among young people is also falling. According to a study of Polish pupils, acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people dropped from 61 to 45 per cent between 2021 and 2025. Girls expressed more positive attitudes towards gay, lesbian and other LGBTQIA+ people than boys. Poland ranks 39th on the Rainbow Map, scoring 22 per cent for its laws and policies. [2], [8]
Drawing a complete, up to date picture of Europe is difficult. Studies ask different questions, covering issues such as being open about who you are, marriage and parenting. Recent data on young people is not available for every country. Taken together, the research shows that both good laws and acceptance in daily life need attention. That is why it remains important to ask young people themselves what they think about homosexuality.
