A majority of U.S. Hispanics say gay men and lesbians should be accepted by society, a new study has found.

The poll by the Pew Hispanic Center found acceptance for gay rights among Latinos to be similar to the general public.

"Virtually identical shares of Latinos (59%) and the general public (58%) say homosexuality should be accepted by society," the report's authors wrote.

Thirty percent of Latinos and 33 percent of the general public say gay rights should be discouraged.

While a majority (53%) of immigrant Hispanics favor gay rights, acceptance among second-generation Hispanics rises to 68 percent.

Women more than men favor such rights – 62 percent versus 55 percent.

And support is greater among younger Hispanics, with nearly seven-in-ten (69%) of 18-to-29-year-old Hispanics saying homosexuality should be accepted by society; 60 percent of Hispanics ages 30 to 49 and 54 percent of Hispanics 50 to 64 agree. Hispanics ages 65 and older are more divided, with 41 percent saying homosexuality should be accepted by society and 44 percent disagreeing.

The survey also found that 80 percent of Latinos believe gay people face discrimination, 74 percent support marriage or similar legal recognitions for gay couples, and 68 percent of Latino Catholics do not believe being gay is immoral.


Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine