Work

A recent fast change: diffusion and acceptance of homosexuality among university students in Northern Italy during the twenty-first century

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The acceptance of same-sex relationships and the diffusion of associated behaviours reflect pivotal developments within the broader ‘intimacy revolution’, aligning with Inglehart’s Silent Revolution and the Second Demographic Transition (SDT) theories. Drawing on a 2023 representative sample survey of 2600 Northern Italian university students aged 19–21, this study shows notably higher levels of engagement in same-sex behaviours and of supportive attitudes towards homosexuality compared to previous generations. It further shows that the pace of diffusion of SDT-related changes—observed in other sexual and reproductive behaviours—shapes the prevalence of these phenomena. Multivariate logistic regression analyses identify sex at birth, political orientation, and secularization as key individual-level predictors of attitudes and behaviours. Results situate Italy within a comparative framework, revealing both convergence with and divergence from patterns in other high-income countries. In the concluding section, we discuss the validity of the hypotheses previously formulated, on the basis of the empirical results.

Source: Genus

DOI: 10.1186/s41118-025-00265-0

Authors: Maria Castiglioni, Gianpiero Dalla-Zuanna, Asher Colombo

Institutions: University of Padua, University of Bologna

Language: English

Topic: LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,590