Public Opinion toward Homosexuality and Gay Rights in Great Britain

Abstract

In this Poll Trends study, 13 different sources are used to document public opinion toward homosexuality and gay rights in Great Britain in the postwar period. Three broad sets of indicators are examined: general attitudes toward homosexuality; acceptability of homosexuals in particular roles; and attitudes toward homosexual rights. Opinion was overwhelmingly negative in the 1940s and 1950s but started to liberalize following the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1967. Attitudes suffered a temporary setback with the advent of AIDS in the mid-1980s, but the thaw resumed from the early 1990s and accelerated following the millennium, especially during the second half of the first decade of the 2000s, culminating in the successful campaign for legalization of same-sex marriage in England and Wales. This trend toward liberalization has direct parallels in growing public support for several other facets of equality in Britain, notably gender, race, and religion. It also coincides with a significant reduction in religious allegiance.