Batswana tolerant of gays, Afrobarometer says
Staff Writer | Tuesday February 18, 2020 08:43
Botswana made international headlines last year when its High Court struck down a colonial-era law that criminalised same sex relations. According to the key findings of the survey, a slim majority of Batswana, that is 52 percent, say they would mind having someone in a same-sex relationship as a co-worker, a supervisor or a member of their religious community (56 percent).
“Similarly, half (51 percent) of the respondents say they would ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ dislike having a neighbour who is in a same sex relationship. But nearly as many (48%) say they would like it or would not care - a view that has gained 10 percent points since the previous survey in 2017. Across 34 African countries surveyed in 2016/2018, only 20% of respondents expressed such tolerance,” Afrobarometer says.
Last it says tolerance of same-sex relationships is in the majority view among young respondents; 56% of those aged 18-35 say would not mind working with someone in a same-sex relationship. A majority of urban residents (57%) and respondents with post-secondary education (71%) agree.