Acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people stalls or declines in the Netherlands, monitor finds
The acceptance of homosexual and lesbian people has not risen in the last two years, while the acceptance of transgender, non-binary, and intersex people has dropped slightly, according to the LGBTQIA+ monitor by Movisie. The knowledge conducts a biannual study, along with Ipsos I&O and advisory bureau Panteia, into the living situation of the LGBTQIA+ community and the way they are thought of in the Netherlands.
Dutch people are positive towards homosexual and lesbian people. Over 80 percent of the 3,000 surveyed said that they accept them. Despite this, an increasing number said they are uncomfortable with two men kissing in public. A fifth of people asked in 2024 had a problem with this, it has now risen to a quarter.
"Attitudes toward homosexuality became increasingly positive for a long time. Although a large majority of people still accept homosexuality, we are now seeing for the first time that this upward trend is no longer continuing," said Karijn van den Berg, a senior researcher at Movisie.
The biennial monitor covers several age groups. However, research by the Trimbos Institute and Utrecht University found that acceptance of homosexuality among young people has fallen sharply. Between 2021 and 2025, the figure nearly halved, dropping from 40 percent to 22 percent.
Acceptance of transgender people dropped by three percent. Just under two-thirds of the respondents said that they have a positive attitude towards transgender people.
The number of Dutch people who do not see transgender women as “real women” has risen compared to two years ago. Over a third does not recognize a trans woman as a woman.
Acceptance of non-binary and intersex people also dropped. From 54 to 52 percent and from 68 to 66 percent, respectively. The study also found that people generally have limited knowledge about intersex and asexual people.
The research also looked into the well-being of queer people. The findings showed that people in the LGBTQIA+ community are more prone to suicidal thoughts than heterosexual people or people who identify with their gender at birth. Queer people also suffer more often from mental health issues, with the exception of homosexuals and lesbian people. Their mental health is comparable to heterosexuals.
The results regarding the well-being of transgender and intersex people are only indicative, the researchers stress, because these groups have few respondents in the survey.
The decline in LGBTQIA+ acceptance requires action from schools, the government and social media platforms, among others, according to COC Netherlands and the Transgender Network. “This stagnation in acceptance is a worrying development, especially when combined with declining acceptance among young people,” said COC director Marie Ricardo and Remke Verdegem, chair of Transgender Network, in a joint statement.
Transgender Network called the new figures “shocking, but at the same time not surprising.” According to the organization, there is a clear trend toward the increasing normalization of discrimination and hatred against transgender people.