Tielen wants new research to guide approach to LGBTI acceptance
A four-yearly study shows a sharp decline in positive attitudes towards homosexuality among school pupils.
Acceptance of homosexuality among young people in the Netherlands fell sharply between 2021 and 2025. State Secretary Judith Tielen wants to examine which approach is appropriate, while researchers warn that schools, parents, municipalities and the government must continue to set a shared social norm.
The figures come from the new HBSC study by Utrecht University and the Trimbos Institute. Among boys in secondary education, the proportion with a positive attitude towards homosexuality fell from 40 per cent in 2021 to 22 per cent in 2025. Among girls, the proportion fell from 78 to 51 per cent.
The study is a national, four-yearly measurement of young people’s health and wellbeing. The researchers stress that the figures measure attitudes; on their own, they do not prove why young people have started answering more positively or negatively. The decline does coincide with a less positive assessment of the atmosphere at school and more reported experiences of bullying.
State Secretary Tielen for Education and Emancipation said on NOS Radio 1 Journaal that the findings give reason to review the approach. Reporting on her response refers to additional support for schools that need it. The precise measures and timetable have not yet been established.
Researchers and organisations working with young people point to several possible influences. These include online environments in which conservative views spread rapidly, negative political statements and disinformation about transgender and non-binary people. These are explanations and hypotheses from the wider social interpretation, not causal conclusions that the HBSC study alone can prove.
Schools already have so-called gender and sexuality alliances, groups of pupils and teachers committed to safety and acceptance. Pupils also use Paarse Vrijdag to create visibility. At the same time, visible activities can provoke negative reactions, meaning schools must consider guidance, safety and the scope for pupils to take part.
The political question is therefore broader than the choice of a single teaching package. The government can provide minimum standards and support, but schools differ in their local circumstances. An effective approach will have to show which interventions work, how young people themselves are involved and how social safety is measured.
The figures provide no reason to treat individual young people as a problem group. They do show that an earlier upward trend is not continuing automatically. For policy, it is particularly important to monitor the findings, avoid establishing causes too quickly and give schools practical help in tackling exclusion and intimidation.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The HBSC study reports a sharp decline in positive attitudes towards homosexuality among school pupils between 2021 and 2025.
- The state secretary wants to review the policy approach in response to the study.
- Researchers identify the setting of social norms by schools, parents, the government and municipalities as relevant.
Left
Arguments The government must actively ensure a safe school environment and must not leave LGBTI acceptance to a school’s accidental culture. Structural funding, citizenship education and support for GSAs are justified from this perspective.
Values Equal rights, inclusion and protection against discrimination.
Consequences More public funding and clear school standards can increase safety, but require proper evaluation so that policy does not remain merely symbolic.
Centre
Arguments The findings call for research into what works, support where problems can be demonstrated and room for schools to put the approach into practice. The government must safeguard a lower limit without centrally directing every local difference.
Values Educational quality, practicability and institutional reliability.
Consequences A phased approach with monitoring can allow policy to be adjusted, but victims may experience it as too slow when unsafe conditions are already visible.
Right
Arguments Schools must combat discrimination, but the government should be cautious with ideological campaigns and focus on general rules of conduct, safety and enforcement. Parents and communities deserve room to shape upbringing themselves as long as the law is obeyed.
Values Freedom, parental responsibility and equal application of the rules.
Consequences A less activist policy may increase support, but there is a risk that schools will receive insufficient help when general rules prove inadequate.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key figures and research design were checked directly with the Trimbos Institute. Policy intentions and possible explanations have been carefully presented as intentions or interpretations.
- confirmed The proportion of boys in secondary education with a positive attitude towards homosexuality fell from 40 to 22 per cent. — Mentioned in the Trimbos Institute’s report on HBSC 2025. source
- confirmed Among girls, this proportion fell from 78 to 51 per cent. — Mentioned in the same publication. source
- confirmed In the Netherlands, HBSC is conducted every four years by Utrecht University and the Trimbos Institute. — Description of the research design by the Trimbos Institute. source
- confirmed Tielen wants to review which approach fits the findings. — Her response was described by NOS Radio 1; concrete measures were not presented as established facts. source
Editor's note
The decline in the HBSC figures has been confirmed by the researchers. Explanations involving social media, political statements and disinformation are presented as possible factors, not as proven causes.Sources
- Acceptatie homoseksualiteit sterk afgenomen onder jongeren in Nederland — Trimbos-instituut
- Wat is de rol van de overheid in de afname van de acceptatie van homoseksualiteit? — NPO Radio 1
- Homo-acceptatie daalt hard onder jongeren — EenVandaag
- Emancipatiebeleid — Tweede Kamer
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „lhbti jongeren”
- Trouw — „lhbti jongeren”
- NRC — „lhbti jongeren”