Over half of Brits not ‘concerned’ about a royal same-sex marriage, new study finds

A new survey has found that over 60% of Brits wouldn’t mind a gay royal wedding.

A study by Ipsos MORI for King’s College London published yesterday (April 20) reveals how attitudes towards same-sex marriage have changed since the 1970s.

Conducted among 1,681 adults, the survey quizzed adults aged 16-75 on attitude’s towards a royal same-sex marriage and discovered that 66% of respondents wouldn’t mind a royal same-sex wedding.

However, the poll also found that respondents were more worried about a member of the royal family marrying someone of the same-sex than marrying someone from a different race, religion or a divorcee.

Results show that 15% of respondents said they’d be “very concerned” and 11% said they’d be “slightly concerned” over a royal same-sex marriage. 

In addition, the survey found that 73% of respondents wouldn’t have an objection to people of the same sex marrying each other, while 8% think it should be banned. Another 13% of respondents said they didn’t approve of same-sex marriage but didn’t think it should be banned. 

Around 10% of respondents would be “very concerned” if a family member or close friend married someone of the same sex, and 13% claimed they’d only be “slightly concerned” compared to the 73% that wouldn’t be concerned at all. 

Speaking about the study, Professor Roger Mortimore, the Director of Political Analysis at Ipsos MORI,  said: “The findings of this poll show what a complete change there has been in British public attitudes during the reign of the current Queen.

“Even allowing for the fact that our poll did not include those aged over 75, who we would expect to have the most conservative attitudes, the number who said they were concerned about these issues was very low.”

He continued: “In the 1970s, only one person in six thought same-sex marriage should be legal, and as late as the 1990s half the public believed that homosexual sex was always wrong.”

He added: “Now most people have no objection at all, even to a member of the Royal family marrying somebody of the same sex.”