According to a public opinion survey published today by the Estonian Human Rights Centre, more than half of Estonia’s population continues to support marriage equality. The survey, carried out by Turu-uuringute AS, shows that attitudes towards homosexual and transgender people among the foreign-language population are still rather negative.

Support for marriage equality remains high

Marriage equality, i.e. the right of same-sex couples to marry, is supported by 53% of the Estonian population – the same result was registered in 2023. Support among the Estonian-speaking population has risen to 60%, but remains significantly lower among the foreign-language population (38%).

Egert Rünne, Director of the Estonian Human Rights Centre, considers very high support among people aged 18-29 (82%) noteworthy. “This shows that for the new generation, cohabitation and equal opportunities for same-sex couples are self-evident and no longer a matter of social debate,” said Rünne.

Attitudes towards homosexuality have deteriorated slightly

Homosexuality is accepted by 51% of the population and considered unacceptable by 41%. Compared to the previous survey, attitudes towards homosexuality as a whole have deteriorated by five percentage points over three years, but positive attitudes continue to predominate. Here, too, there are clear differences between the Estonian-speaking and foreign-language population: homosexuality is considered acceptable by 58% of the Estonian-speaking population and 34% of the foreign-language population.

The public and political debate on LGBT issues has become more polarised and confrontational around the world in recent years. “This may affect people’s actual attitudes as well as their willingness to express them in the survey,” said Liis Grünberg, Head of Research at Turu-uuringute AS, explaining the possible reasons for the decline in support.

Attitudes towards transgender people have worsened considerably

The proportion of the population who believe that transgenderism exists has declined over the past three years: while 61% of respondents believed that transgenderism existed in 2023, by 2026 this figure had fallen to 49%. The share of people who do not believe that it exists and uncertain respondents has increased.

In 2026, 37% of the population considers transgenderism acceptable and 45% unacceptable. While in 2021 and 2023 the majority of respondents were accepting of transgender people, in 2026 the situation has been reversed, as in 2019.

The Estonian Human Rights Centre is pleased that Estonians’ support for marriage equality continues to be high. “This shows that the explanatory work has paid off – society understands the need for legal protection and recognition of minorities,” says Kelly Grossthal, an equal treatment expert at the Estonian Human Rights Centre. “At the same time, we are seeing how one of the smallest minority groups, trans people, are increasingly being exploited in political turmoil and an imported culture war. The dissemination of misinformation and the denigration of the vulnerable must not be used as a means to gain power. What we really need is more space for the community’s own stories. Social understanding will follow.

The Estonian Human Rights Centre has published seven large-scale public opinion surveys on LGBT rights in Estonia at approximately two-year intervals since 2012. The surveys are carried out by Turu-uuringute AS. The 2026 survey was carried out in early April among residents aged 18 and over across Estonia. A total of 1,010 people were surveyed online and by phone.

The full version of the survey is available here (Estonian). Read the English summary here.

The survey was sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.