Sex, drugs and politics: How Britain became more socially liberal

Britons have become more socially liberal in the last 30 years, but don’t believe that politicians are good people, according to a new study.

New data from Kings College London and polling company Ipsos MORI has revealed how British attitudes to social issues have changed since 1989.

More than 1,000 Britons aged between 15 and 75 were asked for their opinions this year and in 1989, with topics including drug use, abortion and gay relationships on the agenda.

Now, almost half (47%) of British people do not believe that politicians “are good people” – up from 23% in 1989.

Of the three biggest UK parties, Labour voters in 2019 are now most likely to believe that politicians are not good people, with Conservatives the most supportive.

Back in 1989, 40% of British adults believed that gay relationships were morally wrong, increasing to 45% among men. Since then, Britain has had a more liberal outlook to LGBT+ rights.

Section 28, which banned the “promotion of homosexuality” was repealed in 2000 by the Scottish Parliament and 2003 for the rest of the UK

The Equality Act, which protects against homophobia and transphobia, was passed in 2010 and it is legal for same-sex couples to be married across the UK, with legislation for Northern Ireland coming into force this week.

But support for gay rights differs by political party.

The survey asked whether those taking part “strongly agreed that homosexuals should be treated just like other people” – 46% of Brexit Party supporters agreed with this statement, compared to 75% of Liberal Democrat supporters.

Older contributors to the 1989 survey were born before the Second World War, a more conservative time in terms of social liberty.

In the 2019 survey, that group has been replaced by Baby Boomers, born between 1944 and 1964, who grew up in more liberal times.

Professor Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London, said this change could explain the shift in tone from Britons.

“These findings show Britain has become decisively more liberal on a range of moral issues in the last 30 years,” he said.

“That we’ve gone from being a country in which four in ten thought gay relationships were not just wrong but immoral, and in which only half thought gay people should be treated just like anyone else, to the society we see today, all in the space of a few decades, shows just how much attitudes can change.

“The result is that what were once pressing moral concerns have become simple facts of life for much of the public.”

He added: “However, some moral concerns, such as having affairs, have endured across the decades, or have even increased, such as capital punishment.”

Elsewhere, less people say they see the use of drugs as immoral, including harder substances, such as heroin.

Hard drug usage is still frowned upon by the majority of the British public – more than two thirds take issue with the idea.

But only 29% of British people now believe that using drugs like cannabis is morally wrong. Back in 1989, that number was up at 60%.

The Liberal Democrats are campaigning to legalise marijuana “to break the grip of criminal gangs, and protect young people” by establishing a regulated market, according to their website.

Cannabis is also Europe’s most commonly used illicit drug, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.

The group says it is estimated that at least one in every eight young adults (aged 15 to 34) used cannabis in the last year across the European Union.

Labour has also explained what their drugs policy would be if they were to get into power.

In an interview, the shadow home secretary Dianne Abbott said the party would consider legalising all drugs, if it was recommended by a royal commission.

She told The Sunday Times that the royal commission would independently examine all current drugs legislation to address public health issues.

The number of people who believe abortion to be wrong has halved since the 80s.

At the time, 35% of the population believed the matter to be immoral – it now only stands at 18%.

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(c) Sky News 2019: Sex, drugs and politics: How Britain became more socially liberal