Has the UK’s acceptance of gay relationships ‘peaked’?
Study finds first increase in disapproval of same-sex relationships since 1983
Society’s acceptance of same-sex relationships has “reached a point of plateau” in the UK, according to a new study.
Some 66% of those polled in the latest annual British Social Attitudes survey said same-sex relations were “not wrong at all”, down from 68% the previous year.
The survey has been carried out since the 1980s. In 1983, 80% of people believed same-sex relationships were wrong but after then the figure consistently dropped, reaching 32% in 2017. However, the new study finds it increased to 34% last year. The Daily Mail says this suggests “levels of tolerance may have peaked”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“Liberalisation of attitudes does seem to be slowing down,” said the independent social research agency NatCen, which carried out the polling. “While social norms have changed, there is a significant minority of the population who remain uncomfortable with same-sex relationships and as such we may have reached a point of plateau.”
Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell told The Guardian the results suggest “there is a one-third hardcore of people resisting acceptance of two people of the same sex who love one another.”
He added: “The question is whether these people translate their views into support for political movements that want to roll back the gains of the LGBT+ community.”
Hannah Taylor of the LGBT Consortium told Sky News she fears “that in the post-Brexit climate some people have become more emboldened to express their prejudices”.
Pink News notes that “opposition to same-sex relationships has become a focal point in some parts of the UK over the past year, with a wave of protests against LGBT+ inclusive education outside schools in Birmingham and other cities”.
Stonewall’s Laura Russell told the website it was “crucial” for attitutes to change because “many LGBT people still don’t feel safe in Britain”.
“Far too many experience hate crime, discrimination and abuse in their day-to-day lives,” she said.
Ciarán Kelly, the deputy director of the non-denominational Christian Institute, said there had been “increasing pressure on people who are happy to tolerate sexual relations between adults of the same sex to endorse or celebrate it”.
He added: “We saw that with the case of the bakery in Northern Ireland where the bakers were under pressure not just to be tolerant of homosexuality, but to endorse it by supplying a cake with a slogan supporting same-sex marriage.”
The survey, which covers other social issues, found that 74% said pre-marital sexual relations were “not wrong at all”, down from 75% the previous two years.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Duchess of Gloucester: the hard-working royal you've never heard of
Under The Radar Outer royal 'never expected' to do duties but has stepped up to the plate
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Are 'judge shopping' rules a blow to Republicans?
Today's Big Question How the abortion pill case got to the Supreme Court
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Climate change is driving Indian women to choose sterilization
under the radar Faced with losing their jobs, they are making a life-altering decision
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
The power of Estonia’s same-sex marriage law
feature LGBTQ people hope the country will set an example for other European nations
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Chinese chips, the Pope in Africa and podcasting
podcast Is China losing the microchip war? What is the Vatican doing in South Sudan? And has the podcast tide turned?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Afghanistan, Florida and Northern Ireland
podcast Can the World Bank set the Taliban straight? Why is Florida saying ‘don’t say gay’? And what can we learn from the last trials of the Troubles?
By The Week Staff Published
-
South Korea: conservative MPs push to reduce LGBT+ rights
Speed Read Right-wing politician has proposed an amendment to the country’s laws
By Gabriel Power Last updated
-
Prominent US ‘gay conversion therapist’ divorces wife and comes out as gay
In Depth David Matheson was a leading exponent of widely maligned and discredited courses
By The Week Staff Published
-
Nigerian police chief says gay people ‘should leave country’
Speed Read Chief Superintendent Dolapo Badmos posted Instagram message citing 2014 law banning homosexuality activity
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Why are heterosexual and same-sex divorce rates diverging?
Speed Read UK divorce rates among opposite-sex couples hits 45-year low, as same-sex separations surge
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Nine-year-old boy kills himself after homophobic bullying
Speed Read Jamel Myles, of Denver, Colorado, is found dead at his home after telling his classmates he was gay
By The Week Staff Last updated