May 28, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Britain show a wide level of acceptance of homosexuality, according to a poll by YouGov for Stonewall. More than 70 per cent of respondents say they would personally feel either comfortable or neutral if people they know and deal with were gay.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Britain show a wide level of acceptance of homosexuality, according to a poll by YouGov for Stonewall. More than 70 per cent of respondents say they would personally feel either comfortable or neutral if people they know and deal with were gay.

In the survey, more than 90 per cent of respondents express no problem with a sports figure of a work colleague being gay. Support trickles to 71 per cent in the case of a local religious representative.

Earlier this month, British Foreign Office minister Ian McCartney discussed the country's commitment to equality, declaring, "We have taken a lead in ending discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the UK. But elsewhere the picture remains bleak. More than 70 countries totally prohibit consenting same-sex relations, and nine countries punish them with death, denying people their basic human rights."

In 2006, the British government introduced the Equality Act, which gives people the right to be treated equally in a variety of circumstances, and would allow same-sex couples to adopt children.

Same-sex marriage is currently legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada and South Africa, and at least 18 countries—including Britain—offer some form of legal recognition to same sex unions.

Polling Data

How comfortable would you personally feel if each of the following were gay?
("Very comfortable", "Comfortable" or "Neutral" included)

A footballer in the team you support	92%
A work colleague	92%
A member of the royal family	88%
Your member of Parliament	87%
Your boss in a new job	87%
A close friend	86%
Another relative	80%
Your brother or sister	78%
Your general practitioner	78%
Your child	73%
Your child's teacher	73%
Your local religious representative	71%

Source: YouGov / Stonewall
Methodology: Interviews with 2,009 British adults, conducted from Oct. 3 to Oct. 10, 2006. No margin of error was provided.

Complete Poll (PDF)

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