Britain is much more liberal-minded than it was 40 years ago, study finds

A mural in support of same-sex marriage in Belfast. Forty years ago, 50% of BSA respondents said same-sex relationships were ‘always wrong’. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA

From attitudes to gay sex and single parenting to views on abortion and the role of women in the home, Britain has evolved into a dramatically more liberal-minded country over the past four decades, a leading study has found.

The transformation in public opinion on many social and moral issues – described by one of the study’s researchers as “a near revolution” – is captured in the latest British social attitudes (BSA) survey, which is marking its 40th year of mapping Britain’s cultural and political landscape.