Robbie Rogers, the first professional footballer in England to come out as gay since Justin Fashanu, has called for a zero tolerance approach to homophobia in sport in light of a major survey that reveals disturbing levels of abuse and bullying.

The Out on the Fields international study, the biggest of its kind, reveals 85% of UK participants believe an openly gay, lesbian or bisexual person would not be safe in the stands at a sporting event and almost two thirds believe homophobia is more common in sport than the rest of society.

Six in 10 gay men and more than half of the lesbians surveyed said they had personally experienced homophobia in sport and half of all participants believe LGB people are “not accepted at all” or only “accepted a little” in sporting culture.

Rogers said the survey, conducted by the organisers of rugby union’s Bingham Cup, said the situation in stadiums was “very disappointing” and called for immediate bans for fans and “stiff penalties” for players using discriminatory language. The American former Leeds United player, who quit English football after announcing he was gay before returning to the United States and later signing for LA Galaxy, said the atmosphere in the stands was a contributory factor in forcing players to keep their sexuality secret.

“While many gay people are playing this amazing game, most still feel the need to keep their sexuality secret. I believe one of the biggest reasons people remain in the closet is the homophobic language they hear. This extends to the slurs and chants heard from spectators,” he said. “Not only is this causing gay players to feel unwelcome, the study found it’s also affecting fans. This is not acceptable, everyone should be able to enjoy sports. It’s time that all sports enforce a zero tolerance of hateful language on and off the field.”

Last year, the Rugby Football Union issued two-year stadium bans to two supporters who had hurled homophobic abuse at the referee Nigel Owens during an international between England and New Zealand.

Rogers, who believes gay players in England are afraid to come out, called on Fifa to do more to ensure LGB people feel welcome both playing and watching. The UK element of the study revealed young gay men and women were more likely to come out to their team-mates than in other parts of the world, but also highlighted issues in grassroots sport.

“I’m very encouraged to see that more gays and lesbians are finding the courage to come out of the closet, certainly much younger than I did while playing sport,” said Gareth Thomas, the Wales international rugby player who came out towards the end of his career in 2009.

“It’s even more impressive that they are choosing to be open about their sexuality despite the widespread homophobia that continues to be reported around sporting fields, particularly among fans.”

Of those surveyed, more than one in four gay men said they did not participate in youth team sports. Of those, 44% said negative experiences in school PE classes had turned them off and 31% feared rejection because of their sexuality. In all, more than half of gay men and over a third of lesbians said they felt unwelcome in sport.

Among the recommendations to emerge from the study is a call for PE teachers to receive training in spotting homophobia and supporting LGB athletes and an “athlete ally” programme to encourage straight sportsmen and women to support anyone struggling with their sexuality.

Participants in the study also wanted to see clearer anti-homophobia and inclusion policies from governing bodies and more LGB sports stars to come out of the closet to set an example.

Professor Ian Rivers of Brunel University, part of an expert panel that oversaw the study of more than 9,500 responses, called on sports governing bodies to do more to tackle the problem.

“In the UK we have recently invested significant resources to address discrimination in sport but it’s very clear from this study that more needs to be done, particularly around homophobia,” he said. “This form of discrimination is not only affecting lesbian, gay and bisexual people but the study shows many straight men are also being targeted.”

Lord Ouseley, the Kick It Out chairman, conceded there was a particular cultural problem within male football, in dressing rooms and in the stands.

“It’s still the fear factor. Football has not done enough to create an environment in which people feel they will get the support from the club, their teammates, the management,” Ouseley said. “I’m not sure the environment lends itself to gay players being themselves.”