New Pew Survey Shows Rising LGBTQ+ Support Among Latin American Catholics

A new study reveals that Catholics across the U.S. and Latin America remain divided over LGBTQ+ issues, but support is increasing in some areas.

The Pew Research Center study surveyed over 5,600 Catholics from seven countries, and said the differences fall largely along national lines.

In Argentina and Chile, the majority of Catholics believe the church should recognize marriage equality, showing the growing acceptance of LGBTQ+ relationships in these regions. Contrastingly, less than half of Catholics in Mexico and Peru support recognizing same-gender marriages. In the United States, just over half of Catholics believe that the church should recognize such marriages.

Argentina has the highest number of Catholics who wish to recognize same-gender marriage, at 70%. Followed by Chile at 64% and the United States at 54%. Just under half of Mexicans support recognizing marriage equality, as 43% of Brazilians and 40% of Colombians. Peru, at 32%, has the lowest number of Catholics in Latin America who support such recognition.

The Pew study also looks at the ordination of women as priests, where there is more consensus, as most Catholics across all surveyed countries support ordaining women. Likewise, a majority of Catholics believe the church should allow the use of birth control. 

Stronger disagreement exists about whether priests should be allowed to marry. About two-thirds of Catholics in Argentina, Chile, and the U.S. support this idea, while in Mexico and Peru, most Catholics oppose it, with only 38% and 32% supportive, respectively. 

Generational divide is another major factor. Younger Catholics lean more progressive, and specifically Catholics between the ages of 18 and 39 are much more likely to support progressive changes. In Colombia, 65% of younger Catholics believe women should be allowed to become priests, compared to 49% of older Catholics. Similarly, younger Catholics in the region are more likely to favor recognizing same-gender marriages, showing that LGBTQ+ affirmation may grow with the younger generation as they gain more prominent roles in the church.

Among Catholics who attend Mass weekly or pray daily, there is less support for LGBTQ+ inclusion. In Mexico, only 38% of weekly churchgoers think the church should recognize marriage equality, while 52% of less frequent Mass attendees support this idea. Though pollsters like Pew often use Mass attendance as a barometer for fidelity, it is important to remember that living Catholic faith extends far more broadly.

Pope Francis, a primary motivator for many Catholics’ acceptance of LGBTQ+people, was also a topic of the survey. He remains broadly popular across the surveyed countries. Yet, his favorability ratings have declined over the last decade, especially in Argentina, his country of origin, where only 74% of Catholics now view him favorably, down from 98% a decade ago. Similarly, in the United States, a February 2014 survey found that 85% of Catholics viewed the pope favorably, and now this most recent survey finds that only 75% still hold that view.

—Elsie Carson-Holt (she/her), November 5, 2024

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