Public Attitudes (In Scotland) To Section 28

  • MORI Scotland interviewed a representative quota sample of 500 adults aged 18+ across Scotland.
  • Interviews were conducted by telephone on 20-21 January 2000.
  • Data are weighted to represent the profile of the population.

Q The government is planning to end the law which bans local authorities from promoting the teaching of homosexuality in our schools. In light of this, which one of the following two statements comes closest to your own view:

The ban should remain and schools should not be allowed to promote the teaching of homosexuality to our children 60%
The ban should end, and schools should decide on how homosexuality is taught to our children 36%
Neither/don't know 4%

Q The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has said that it is right for teachers and others to be able to explain to children properly the facts of life, including homosexuality. On balance, do you agree or disagree with this view?

Agree 53%
Disagree 43%
No opinion/refused 4%

Q The leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Thomas Winning, is reported as describing homosexual relationships as a perversion. Do you agree or disagree with this point of view?

Agree 33%
Disagree 60%
No opinion/refused 7%

Q If schools are to be allowed to discuss homosexuality, which of the following options would you prefer secondary schools to do:

teach children that homosexuality is wrong, and should not be tolerated as a way of life 14%
teach children that homosexuality is wrong, but should be tolerated as a way of life 24%
teach children that homosexuality is neither right nor wrong, and should be tolerated as a way of life 59%
Don't know 3%

Q In general, to what extent would you say that Scotland as a nation is tolerant of the ways of life of minority groups? Would you say it is ...

Very tolerant 10%
Fairly tolerant 53%
Not particularly tolerant 31%
Not at all tolerant 3%
Don't know 3%

Q Brian Souter, a wealthy businessman, is funding the campaign against the repeal of Section 28. He is also a major funder of the SNP which supports repealing Section 28. Do you think Brian Souter should ...

Continue to fund both the campaign and the SNP 27%
Continue to fund the campaign only 15%
Continue to fund the SNP only 14%
Fund neither the campaign nor the SNP 23%
Don't know/don't care 21%

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