Most people in European nations say their community is a welcoming place for gays and lesbians, according to a poll released on Wednesday that also showed many in African countries see their homelands as hostile to homosexuals.

The Gallup survey of more than 100,000 people in 123 countries found just 1 to 2 percent of those polled in Senegal, Uganda, Mali and Ethiopia see their nations as gay-friendly in a continent where same-sex relationships are still largely taboo.

One exception appeared to be South Africa, the only country on the continent where same-sex marriage is legal. Nearly half of those polled there said their community was hospitable to gays, although slightly more than half disagreed.