A Survey of Chinese University Students' Perceptions of and Attitudes Towards Homosexuality

Abstract

This paper was an investigation of Chinese university students' perceptions of and beliefs about homosexuality, their attitudes towards homosexuality, and the relationship between the two aspects. A total of 500 students from 3 universities in China were sampled. The results were as follows: (i) Of the 4 variables examined, the differences between participants' perceptions and attitudes were significant only on the basis on the students' area of study. (ii) There was a significantly positive correlation between participants' perceptions about homosexuality and their attitudes, that is, attitudes could be positively predicted from participants' perceptions. (iii) Perceptions and attitudes varied significantly according to the time when participants first had contact with the term “homosexuality”. In conclusion, adequate knowledge about homosexuality is helpful for Chinese university students in adopting much more tolerant attitudes towards homosexuality.