Seven out of ten (71%) disagree with the Constitutional Court’s interpretation that the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania imposes an obligation to consider homosexual couples as families, two out of ten (18%) agree with it, and one out of ten (11%) have no opinion or did not answer the question.
A representative survey of Lithuanian residents aged 18 and older (N-1022) was conducted between May 23 and June 5, 2025, by Baltijos tyrimai, a joint Lithuanian and British market and public opinion research company.
The survey was conducted at 108 sampling points using face-to-face interviews at respondents’ homes. Respondents were selected to reflect the proportions of the country’s population by gender, age, and place of residence. The margin of error was 3.1% (confidence interval 95%).
In a survey conducted by the Lithuanian and British market and public opinion research company Baltijos tyrimai between May 23 and June 5, 2025 The survey question allowed: The question posed in the survey made it possible to:
1) identify public support for or opposition to the aforementioned interpretation,
2) determine the public’s attitude on this issue in several respects – by examining their position on the expansion of the concept of family and the obligation assigned to the Seimas,
3) continue monitoring its position on the draft Civil Union/Partnership Laws (2022-2025) (more detailed data on the survey is being prepared).
The public clearly disagrees with the Constitutional Court’s interpretation of cohabitation without marriage (partnership). This disagreement is evident in several aspects:
A survey by Baltic Research shows that the public disapproves of the Constitutional Court’s interpretation, which leads to the expansion of the concept of family by defining it as a gender-neutral relationship between two people, i.e., forming a legal provision that the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania imposes an obligation to consider homosexual couples as families.
The Vilmorus survey shows that the public does not agree with the Constitutional Court’s interpretation, which obliges the Seimas to regulate the issue of partnerships between different and same-sex couples in the manner provided for by the Constitutional Court.
Seven out of ten (71%) disagree with the Constitutional Court’s interpretation that the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania imposes an obligation to consider homosexual couples as families, two out of ten (18%) agree with it, and one out of ten (11%) have no opinion or did not answer the question. Support for this interpretation of the Constitutional Court, according to socio-demographic criteria (age, gender, place of residence, family income), does not exceed a quarter (24% in large cities), except for young people under 29 (37%), while more than two-thirds (from 66% to 79%) express disapproval, except for the youngest respondents, half of whom also view this Constitutional Court decision negatively (49%).
Regardless of whether they trust (68%) or distrust (77%) the Constitutional Court, the country’s residents unanimously disagree with its interpretation that the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania imposes an obligation to consider homosexual couples as families. This shows that society fundamentally disagrees with equating same-sex relationships with the institution of family. The results of the Baltic Research survey also refute some of the political interpretations of the data obtained in the Vilmorus survey, which claimed that there are people who support the institution of partnership but are critical of the Constitutional Court’s decisions and their role. On the contrary, the survey showed that society negatively views the Constitutional Court’s interpretation, which distorts the constitutional concept of family in order to equate gender-neutral partnerships (between men and women and between persons of the same sex) with family. This view is not influenced by trust or distrust in the Constitutional Court, socio-demographic criteria (gender, age, place of residence), social status, or political preferences: they show that the Constitutional Court’s interpretation is viewed negatively by both the ruling majority and the opposition political parties’ supporters (from 53% to 90%), with only the electorate of the non-parliamentary Freedom Party expressing approval (74%), a quarter of whom (23%) also spoke out against the Constitutional Court’s decision.
There is greater opposition to changing the concept of family by recognizing same-sex couples than to the legal regulation of everyday issues arising for these couples. This shows that society does not deny the need to resolve the issues arising for these couples, but is clearly opposed to changing the legal status of their relationships and expanding the constitutional concept of family.
VšĮ Laisvos visuomenės institutas (Free Society Institute) Vilnius