People in the UK are less supportive of premarital sex and same-sex sexual relationships, new statistics have revealed.
Despite concerted efforts from politicians, activists, and some sections of the media to promote liberal sexual relationships, the British Social Attitudes survey suggests support has declined slightly since 2016.
It ends three decades of the survey reporting largely uninterrupted increasing acceptance of homosexual relationships and premarital sex.
‘Increasing pressure’
The Christian Institute’s Ciarán Kelly said the reversal may reflect some pushback against a “new orthodoxy that not to celebrate same-sex relations is homophobic”.
He said there had been “increasing pressure” on people “to endorse or celebrate” same-sex sexual relationships.
He continued: “We saw that with the case of the bakery in Northern Ireland where the bakers were under pressure not just to be tolerant of homosexuality, but to endorse it by supplying a cake with a slogan supporting same-sex marriage”.
“They won their case at the Supreme Court. People who share their biblical views should not be afraid to speak out as long as they’re respectful and reasonable.”
The report revealed acceptance of sexual relationships before marriage had fallen slightly from 75 per cent in 2016 to 71 per cent in the latest report.