Acceptance of same-sex relationships slowing down in UK, report suggests

Liberal Britain may have reached its peak, with the proportion of people who say they are completely comfortable with same-sex relations having fallen for the first time in more than three decades.

Research conducted as part of the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey signalled the country had “reached a point of plateau”, where acceptance of those not fitting within “conventional norms” is beginning to level off.

Of the nearly 3,000 people polled, two-thirds (66 per cent) said same-sex relationships were “not wrong at all”, down from 68 per cent the previous year – marking the first drop since 1987, when the figure stood at 11 per cent.

The report noted that the “process of liberalisation” was “slowing down”, with a “significant minority” of the population remaining uncomfortable with same-sex relationships.

It continued: “While we have a new and radically transformed set of social norms in the field of sexual relations and gender, we also have a significant minority who feel differently about these issues, and that minority may become increasingly focused on ensuring that socially conservative views and voices are reflected in public discussion of gender and relationships.”

With regards to the transgender community, the report concluded that despite not wanting to be seen as personally prejudiced, the public were less clear that prejudice against transgender people was on principle wrong.

More than four-fifths of respondents (83 per cent) stated they were “not prejudiced at all” towards transgender people, compared with just 15 per cent who described themselves as “very” or “a little” prejudiced.

But less than half (49 per cent) said they viewed prejudice against transgender people as “always” wrong, while 6 per cent said it was “rarely” or “never” wrong.

However, the report said the “sustained liberalising trend” that has been seen towards same-sex relations over the past few decades meant it was likely that attitudes to transgender people would continue to change in a way that increasingly supports their rights to live freely and without experiencing discrimination.

Laura Russell, director of campaigns, policy and research at Stonewall, said it was “crucial” to change people’s attitudes about same-sex relationships in order for the LGBT+ community to “feel free to be themselves”.

She added: “This is crucial 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.”

A government spokesperson said it was committed to delivering on its LGBT+ action plan to make sure the UK is “a place where everyone can love who they choose without fear of prejudice”.