In 2016, Viacom, MTV and Logo partnered with ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay and Transgender Association) and RIWI to get a view on attitudes toward LGBT people at the global level and by individual country. The resulting project, the Global Attitudes Survey on LGBTI people, was the largest and broadest ever on this topic, spanning an unprecedented 100,000 respondents across 65 countries.

That survey found that while acceptance is growing globally, there is a long road ahead for equality.

Today, Viacom, MTV and Logo have released the findings from the 2017 iteration of the study– this time spanning over 116,000 online individuals in 77 countries.  The 2017 survey builds upon the foundation set in 2016 to present even deeper insight that measures the pace at which attitudes and perceptions are progressing. Additionally, it sheds light on what life is like for LGBT people around the world.

As in 2016, this year’s research has found significant strides of growth, but also clear indicators of the discrimination and harm that LGBT communities around the world are still facing.

Among the signs of progress is a 5 percentage point growth in support for same-sex marriage on a global level with nearly 2 in 5 people around the world now in support of legalization. This growth coincides with several countries recently signing marriage equality into law, including Australia and Austria.

Even with positive indications of progress, the insight into LGBT communities’ experiences around the world illustrates the long road to true global acceptance. For people around the world who are attracted to the same-sex, 27% have experienced violence based on that attraction and 43% have experienced at least mild workplace discrimination because of it.

Still, in the face of widespread discrimination, people who are attracted to the same sex are twice as likely to say that attitudes towards sexual diversity in their country are improving, as opposed to worsening.

The research finds that two factors for shifting attitudes and perceptions more favorably include knowing someone who is attracted to the same-sex personally and positive LGBT media representation and celebrity opinion. These factors have contributed greatly to an overall positive shift in attitudes towards LGBT people and suggest that a heightened awareness and insight into LGBT lives globally is essential for driving progress.