Living Together
British attitudes towards lesbian and gay people
Stonewall has carried out research to find out how British people feel about lesbians and gay men and to establish the extent of prejudice against them. We commissioned YouGov to survey a nationally representative sample of over 2000 adults. The survey canvassed opinion on:
- lesbian and gay people and their legal rights
- gay people as family and friends
- gay people in public life, including politics and the media
- awareness of anti-gay prejudice and discrimination
- causes of anti-gay discrimination
- responsibility for tackling prejudice against lesbian and gay people
The research aims to provide us with a better understanding of attitudes towards lesbian and gay people in Britain today. It also includes some straightforward recommendations which we are urging schools, employers, the media, the government and faith groups to consider.
Contrary to some claims, the data reveals that a majority of Britons are comfortable with gay people.
- More than a third of people say they have a high opinion of lesbians and gay men, while only a quarter say they have a low opinion.
- Three out of four people would be comfortable if their child's teacher was gay and more than three-quarters of the population would feel comfortable if their doctor was gay.
- Almost everyone (92 per cent) would be comfortable if a footballer on the team they support was gay, and close to nine in ten people would not mind if a member of the royal family was gay.
Most people support the equal legal treatment of lesbians and gay men, and want to see anti-gay discrimination addressed.
- Nine out of ten people want anti-gay bullying in schools to be tackled.
- Over half of people think that lesbian and gay people experience public prejudice in Britain and a significant majority (73 per cent) think that anti-gay prejudice should be tackled.
- Nine out of ten people support laws to protect gay people from discrimination in the workplace.
- More than four out of five people, including 'people of faith', are in favour of gay people being protected from discrimination in areas including health care and social services.
- The vast majority (89 per cent) of people are in favour of laws which would make it illegal to incite hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation.
However, the data also uncovers a widespread perception that public bodies, employers and the media do not always reflect these attitudes, and people see significant pockets of discrimination remaining.
- Almost 17 million adults witnessed homophobic bullying at school.
- Almost 4 million people have witnessed homophobic bullying at work.
- A significant majority (83 per cent) of people believe that the media relies heavily on clichéd stereotypes of gay people.
The full report can be downloaded here: Living Together.
If you would like to see Living Together as a Word document or in larger print, please contact 020 7593 1850 or email info@stonewall.org.uk.
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