The sports world's silence
To the question "Do you agree with the following statement: the issue of homosexuality is kept a secret in the sports world?", 78% of Québec residents and 72% of the rest of Canadians said they agreed with this statement whereas 13% and 14% said they disagreed.
Sports media's silence
75% of Québec residents and 66% of other Canadians agree with this statement according to which, in sports media, the issue of homosexuality is kept in silence.
The sports community does not take the fight against homophobia seriously
Are athletic organizations concerned about the fight against homophobia? When answering this question, only 24% of Québec respondents and 23% of respondents elsewhere in Canada think that people are concerned about the fight against homophobia in this community; the other respondents either believe that people are not concerned about it or are unable to answer the question.
Gay and lesbian athletes reportedly have a lower likelihood of success than heterosexuals do
When asked about the likelihood of success in a gay or lesbian athlete's sports career in comparison with a male heterosexual athlete's, 31% of Québec respondents and 34% of respondents from the rest of Canada believe that the likelihood of success would be less than a heterosexual male athlete's.
In sports, a woman's being lesbian is accepted better than a man's being gay
Furthermore, a considerable difference can be seen in people's perceptions regarding lesbian women. Only 13% of Québec respondents and 20% of respondents in the rest of Canada believe that their likelihood of success would be less than heterosexual women's. As for people's acceptance of popular gay and lesbian athletes, lesbian women are viewed more favourably than gay men are. Lesbian women have an acceptance level of 74% among people in Québec compared to 65% for rest of Canada whereas gay men are only accepted by 60% of Québec residents versus 52% for other Canadians.
The public is ready to accept gay and lesbian athletes
For the majority of respondents, 77% of Québec residents and 68% from other Canadian provinces, knowing what an athlete's sexual orientation is would not influence an athlete's popularity among fans. Conversely, 18% in Québec and 20% elsewhere in Canada, people believe that being gay or lesbian would negatively affect their popularity among fans. Only 5% and 8% believe that it would have a positive effect on popularity among fans.
People know what "homophobia" means
Almost all respondents are up-to-date on what the word homophobia means. 97% of those in Québec and 96% of those in the rest of Canada are familiar with the definition.
Knowing or not gay men and lesbians
A majority of respondents, 85% in Québec and 82% elsewhere in Canada, personally know gay men and lesbians, with most knowing more men than women.
Clear progress in attitudes between 2003 and 2010, regarding teammates
A question asked in 2003 for a telephone survey conducted by Léger Marketing in Québec was repeated last April and using the same method. "In your opinion, would a hockey player people know is gay be more well accepted or more poorly accepted by the players or trainer of a professional hockey team?" In 2003, 29% of respondents said that he would be more well received whereas 42% said so in 2010. Only 37% of respondents believe that a gay hockey player would be poorly accepted by his team whereas in 2003, 61% thought so.
Survey methodology
The study was carried out from March 26 to April 4, 2010 by the Léger Marketing company for Fondation Émergence. It was conducted among 1501 people chosen from the Legerweb panel in Canada and weighted with help by Statistics Canada in order to provide it with a proportionate scale. The question on the "gay hockey player and his team" was the subject of a telephone survey between March 13 and April 6, 2010, among 1003 Québec residents by following the same method used in 2003, so as to ensure answer comparability.
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