More than two thirds of Germans are disgusted by gay couples kissing in the street, a new study has shown.

Published by the University of Leipzig, the representative study – titled Die enthemmte Mitte (the disinhibited middle) – reveals the growing rejection of not just homo- and bisexual people, as well as Muslims, Romani people and asylum seekers.

40.1% of interviewees agreed with the statement ‘it’s disgusting when homosexual people kiss in public’, compared to 27.8% in 2009.

Nearly a quarter of Germans, 24.8%, think of homosexuality as immoral, the study shows, and 36.4% still think marriage should only be open to straight couples.

The study also looks at interviewee’s political preferences and which party, if any, they support – with rather unsurprising results.

Interviewees supporting the right-wing, Eurosceptic Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), who often condemn so-called ‘gender mainstreaming’ and want to promote the traditional family above anything else, showed the highest opposition to homosexuality.

More than half of AfD supporters interviewed for the study said gay couples kissing were disgusting, compared to 46.2% of interviewees supporting Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

But even 23.5% supporters of the Green Party, who have been pushing for marriage equality for more than two decades, took issue with same-sex couples’ public displays of affection.

At the same time, they had the highest numbers of support when it comes to marriage equality: 80.5% of interviewees supporting the Greens said they wanted marriage to be open to all, compared to 57.3% of AfD voters and, least supportive, 56.5% of CDU voters.

In terms of the morality, or immorality, the AfD once again came out on top, with 34.7% of interviewees confirming they thought of homosexuality as immoral.

The study, which can be accessed (in German only) on the Heinrich Böll Stiftung’s official website, is based on interviews with 2,420 people, chosen so they give an appropriate picture of society.

It is part of a long-term project looking at political stances in Germany and how they evolve.