Survey shows rise in support for same-sex partnerships

Published on Friday 12 August 2011 14:37

The number of Scots who support same-sex marriage has increased by 20 per cent since 2002, figures show.

The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey showed that in 2010 almost two-thirds of people (61 per cent) supported same-sex marriage, compared with 41 per cent in 2002.

The survey report reads: "For the most part, the survey found relatively little change since 2006 in the extent to which people express discriminatory attitudes.

"There were, however, two main exceptions: a further decline in discriminatory attitudes towards gay men and lesbians; and a small increase in the proportion who felt that people from ethnic minority groups and people from eastern Europe take jobs away from other people in Scotland.

"The biggest and most rapid change in discriminatory attitudes in the last decade has been in views of gay men and lesbians. In 2000, 48 per cent felt sexual relationships between two adults of the same sex were always or mostly wrong. By 2010 this figure had fallen to just over a quarter (27 per cent)."

The proportion of people with the perception that people from ethnic minority groups "take jobs away from Scots" increased slightly, from 27 per cent in 2006 to 31 per cent last year, and the proportion with the same perception of those from eastern Europe rose from 32 to 37 per cent.

In 2010, 28 per cent said they believed there was sometimes good reason to be prejudiced against particular groups.

However, the majority (66 per cent) think Scotland should do everything it can to get rid of prejudice.

According to the survey, less educated people and older people are more likely than others to express prejudice and discriminatory views.

The annual Scottish Social Attitudes Survey questions 1,500 people on their attitudes to gender, age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation and transgender.