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A new government-backed survey has found that people are becoming more tolerant towards homosexuality. The annual British Social Attitudes report, published yesterday, found that 39 per cent of people believe homosexuality is “never wrong”, while 10 percent say it is “rarely wrong”.

The report, published by the National Centre for Social Research, surveys 4,000 people each year regarding their views on life, sex, government policies and work. Although the survey reports that 36 per cent of people still find homosexual acts “always” or “mostly wrong”, the findings represent a significant drop from the 62 percent who felt similarly in 1983, when the survey was first carried out.

Speaking to the BBC Today programme, out gay MEP Michael Cashman said he felt public attitudes were catching up with changes in the law, for which he praised “brave” politicians, along with the lobbying group Stonewall and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. He warned against feeling too “comfortable” with the report, however, and argued that homophobia is prevalent in the tabloid press. “There are still bastions of intolerance”, he said. Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie countered the accusation, claiming that tabloids “couldn’t care a damn what sexuality [people] are”.

Elsewhere the report found the public becoming less tolerant of cannabis, with 58 per cent claiming it should remain illegal. While 38 per cent disapproved of working mothers only 14 per cent felt that is was unacceptable for unmarried couples to live together. For the first time since 1989, the report also found, more people consider themselves Conservative (32 per cent) than Labour (27 per cent).

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