67% of Czechs support same-sex marriage, says new poll

Prague, Jan 23 (CTK) – Two-thirds or 67 percent of Czechs are of the view that gays and lesbians should have the possibility to get married, according to a poll conducted by the Median agency at the end of 2019 that its authors presented at a press conference today.

Four-fifths or 78 percent of the respondents agreed that homosexuals could adopt a child of their partners and 62 percent say they should get a chance to adopt children from institutional care.

Support for same-sex marriages and the partner’s child adoption has slightly increased in the past year, while it remained unchanged in the case of adopting children from child homes by same-sex couples.

The number of convinced opponents has also increased, but they are still a minority, the poll shows.

Last year, 15 percent of respondents were definitely against the legislation to enable same-sex marriages, while a year before it was 10 percent.

Nine percent definitely disagreed with the adoption of a partner’s child by the other partner in a same-sex couple, compared to 6 percent in 2018.

The adoption of children from institutions by homosexual couples was strongly opposed by 18 percent in 2019 and 13 percent in 2018.

The poll was conducted on a sample of more than 1,000 people over 18 from all over the Czech Republic last November and December.

Women, younger people and inhabitants of Bohemia support same-sex marriages and other rights for homosexuals more often than men, elderly people and inhabitants of Moravia.

Forty-six deputies from six deputy groups have submitted a civil code amendment enabling same-sex marriages. They say this change is to secure the same rights and respect for gays and lesbians and their children that married heterosexual couples and their offspring enjoy.

The Chamber of Deputies started debating the bill in November 2018 and returned to it in March, but it has not finished the debate.

At the same time, the lower house was discussing a bill to embed the definition of marriage as a bond between a man and a woman only in the constitution. Its proponents say it would protect the family.