The latest survey from Roy Morgan Research suggests that after years of increasing acceptance of LGBTIQA+ people in Australia, the tide has begun to turn and increasingly people agree with the statement that “homosexuality is immoral”.
The research company regularly reaches out to Australians to gauge their view on a range of topics and over the decades they’ve often taken the temperature on attitudes towards people in the LGBTIQA+ communities.
Their latest survey has found that 21 per cent of those surveyed believe homosexuality is immoral. It’s a question they’ve asked many times, and after decades of the figures dropping dramatically, in recent years they’ve begun to grow.
Since 2000, Roy Morgan has been monitoring Australians views on homosexuality, asking approximately 1,000 Australians each week (50,000 each year) whether they agree of disagree with the statement ‘I believe homosexuality is immoral’.
In 2000–01, 36% of Australians aged 14+ agreed with the statement ‘I believe homosexuality is immoral,’ compared to 21% today, a decrease of 15% points over the past quarter century.
The data shows a steady decline for two decades: belief that homosexuality is immoral fell below 30% for the first time in 2008–09, and then under 20% by 2016–17 ahead of the national debate and legalisation of marriage equality in 2017.
During this period, there was a short-term increase in agreement in 2017–18, before homophobic sentiment reached a record low of 18% from July 2018 to June 2020. But in the years since, this downward trend has stalled, edging back up to 21% by 2024–25, marking the first sustained increase in over two decades.
The research has also shown that women are far more likely to be accepting of homosexuality. Twenty five years ago almost half of all men (45%) surveyed agreed with the statement, while only 16% of women voiced agreement.
By 2018 the figures had dropped with only 22% of men and just 14% of women agreeing with the statement, but in the latest survey one in four men asked (25%) say they thinking being gay is immoral, while 16% of women also agree.
Discussing the figures Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said the results showed the figures had stalled.
“Homophobic attitudes in Australia have fallen steadily over the past 25 years, down 15% points, from 36% in 2000–01 to 21% in 2024–25. Sentiment reached a historic low of 18% in 2018–20.
“However, over the past five years the downward trend has stalled, edging back up to 21% by 2024–25, marking the first sustained increase in over two decades.” Levine said.
The CEO praised AFL player Mitch Brown’s recent coming out interview, saying it was the kind of discussion that would change men’s attitudes.
