A landmark survey reminds us that while strides have been made towards LGBTQI+ acceptance in South Africa, stark disparities in attitudes persist.
South Africans are becoming significantly more accepting of the LGBTI community, though deep-seated stigma, discrimination, and violence remain a stark reality for hundreds of thousands.
This is according to Admission Reserved: How South Africans View LGBTI People Today – A Decade of Change Revealed, a groundbreaking national report commissioned by The Other Foundation and conducted through the Human Sciences Research Council’s South African Social Attitudes Survey. Tracking a decade of shifting social dynamics based on data collected from over 3,200 respondents, the study reveals a country caught between progressive legal frameworks and complex social realities.
The University of the Western Cape’s staff-led forum, Queer Dubs, has formally welcomed the findings, noting that the data confirms a massive cultural shift. Over the past decade, the proportion of South Africans who believe same-sex relations are always wrong has dropped from 66% in 2015 to 52% in 2025. Today, a clear majority of 60% agree that lesbian and gay individuals deserve the exact same rights as everyone else, with 46% of citizens reporting that their personal views have become notably more accepting over the last five years alone.
