By contrast, large majorities of the public in Indonesia (95%), Malaysia (82%) and Sri Lanka (69%) oppose legal same-sex marriage. Singaporeans are more evenly divided (45% favor vs. 51% oppose). Shortly after the survey fieldwork concluded, sex between men was decriminalized in Singapore, though the constitution was amended at the same time to limit future avenues for legalizing same-sex marriage. And, in May 2023, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court also opened the door to decriminalizing homosexuality.
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Overall, Buddhists are much more likely than Muslims and Christians to support gays and lesbians marrying legally. Half or more of Buddhists in Thailand (64%), Malaysia (59%), Cambodia (57%) and Singapore (53%) take this position, with Sri Lanka (24%) the only exception.
In Singapore, those without a religious affiliation (62%) are more likely than Buddhists to say they favor the legalization of same-sex marriage.
By contrast, no more than about a quarter of Muslims in any country surveyed support legal same-sex marriage, including just 4% in Indonesia. Support for allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry is somewhat more common among Christians, but still no higher than 35% in any of the countries studied.
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Younger Buddhists (ages 18 to 34) are much more likely than their elders to support legal same-sex marriage. For instance, while 76% of younger Buddhists in Singapore say they strongly or somewhat favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, 45% of older Buddhists in the country take this position.
Buddhists who say religion is very important in their lives are less likely to support legal same-sex marriage. And Buddhist men tend to be less likely than Buddhist women to hold this view.
Pew Research Center
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