Attitudes in Poland Towards the Legalization of Same-Sex Registered Partnerships in the Context of Political Preferences

Abstract

Background Over recent decades, the issue of same-sex civil unions has been discussed and then legally regulated in many European Union countries. In the case of Poland, this issue is still debated in the socio-political discourse. Methods The research presented in this article is aimed at analyzing the attitudes of Polish society towards legalization of same-sex registered partnerships. The study was nationwide and based on a quota sampling method (n = 2119). The data was collected in 2019. Results An analysis of the collected data showed that the support for legalizing same-sex partnerships is not accepted by the majority of voters in Poland. However, there are differences between supporters of various political groups as well as between those who declare left-wing or right-wing views. Conclusions For opponents of equal rights for homosexuals and heterosexuals, a crucial issue is the objection to same-sex marriage. The voters of left-wing parties and people declaring left-wing political leanings were more likely to accept other forms of marriage, although for the majority of them, marriage can be only a union between a woman and a man. Policy Implications The resistance of the ruling party Law and Justice, a conservative one, against legalization of same-sex partnerships and making decisions aimed at LGBT community, for instance introducing “LGBT-free zones,” are one of the elements encouraging its electorate.

Attitudes of Religious People on Marriage and Adoption by LGBs

“…In summary, the results show that despite negative attitudes towards marriage and adoption by homosexuals, positive attitudes predominated, unlike previous studies that identified a predominance of opposing attitudes (Scherman et al, 2020;Tomczak & Zawadzka-Witt , 2021;Gato & Fontaine, 2016), including from people with religious beliefs (Gross et al, 2018;Lee & Multz, 2019;Vecho et al, 2016;Whitehead & Perry, 2016).…”

“…In a study conducted in New Zealand, lawyers and social workers demonstrated that they prefer to see children adopted by heterosexual couples over same-sex couples, with religiosity and political conservatism associated with negative views regarding homoparental adoption (Scherman et al, 2020). Similarly, a study in Poland analyzed the attitudes of Poles towards the legalization of civil unions between people of the same sex, finding that this right is not supported by the majority of the population (Tomczak & Zawadzka-Witt, 2021). In a survey conducted with Portuguese university students, parental competence and child development were evaluated more positively in heterosexual couples than in homosexual couples (Gato & Fontaine, 2016).…”

Reframing LGBT rights advocacy in the context of the rule of law backsliding

“…According to a study based on data collected in 2019, most Poles do not support legalising same-sex partnerships, although the voters of leftwing parties and those declaring left-wing political views were more likely to accept the idea of legal recognition of same-sex unions. The study demonstrated that Poles with right-wing views, notably PiS voters, strongly reject the idea of legalising same-sex partnerships in any form (Tomczak, Iwański & Zawadzka-Witt, 2021).…”

Atitudes de Religiosos Acerca do Casamento e da Adoção por LGBs

“…Num estudo realizado na Nova Zelândia, advogados e assistentes sociais demonstraram terem preferência a verem crianças adotadas por casais heterossexuais em detrimento de casais do mesmo sexo, sendo a religiosidade e o conservadorismo político associados a visões negativas em relação à adoção homoparental (Scherman et al, 2020). De forma análoga, um estudo na Polônia analisou as atitudes dos poloneses a respeito da legalização da união civil entre pessoas do mesmo sexo, encontrando que esse direito não é apoiado pela maioria da população (Tomczak & Zawadzka-Witt, 2021). Em uma pesquisa realizada com estudantes universitários portugueses, a competência parental e o desenvolvimento infantil foram avaliados mais positivamente em casais heterossexuais do que em casais homossexuais (Gato & Fontaine, 2016).…”

“…Em síntese, os resultados mostram que, apesar de haver atitudes negativas em relação ao casamento e à adoção por homossexuais, predominaram atitudes positivas, diferente de estudos anteriores que identificaram uma predominância de atitudes contrárias (Scherman et al, 2020;Tomczak & Zawadzka-Witt, 2021;Gato & Fontaine, 2016), inclusive em pessoas com crenças religiosas (Gross et al, 2018;Lee & Multz, 2019;Vecho et al, 2016;Whitehead & Perry, 2016).…”