Snapshot of our attitudes will be tough to swallow

Ministers have been worried and disappointed by some of the key findings in the latest Scottish Social Attitudes Survey.

Ministers have been worried and disappointed by some of the key findings in the latest Scottish Social Attitudes Survey.

The snapshot of how the country's citizens feel towards each other, unveiled yesterday, makes interesting if sometimes uncomfortable reading for politicians, social agencies and groups within the community.

Over the four years between 2002-03 and 2006, some attitudes have hardened while others have relaxed.

Almost one-third of Scots now believe there is sometimes a good reason to be prejudiced, an increase since 2002, when 26% held that belief.

Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell said the research showed a "significant proportion of Scotland" held the view that it is sometimes acceptable to be prejudiced.

Mr Maxwell added: "Negative attitudes can undermine good relations and fuel suspicion and hostility between groups and communities. For Scotland to be a successful modern nation we need to work for greater equality so Scotland can flourish."

He added that changing attitudes was one of the biggest challenges any society could face.

The question that will be asked is whether prejudices against the Muslim community have hardened since the 2006 survey was carried out, as the research pre-dates the terror attack on Glasgow Airport this summer.

Muslims
In 2003, 38% said that Scotland would begin to lose its identity if more Muslims came to live here, but by 2006 this had increased to 50%. Over the same period more people said they would be unhappy about a relative forming a relationship with a Muslim person.

Nearly half (48%) think that a gipsy or traveller would be unsuitable as a primary school teacher, whereas just over one-third (37%) would be unhappy about a close relative marrying a gipsy or traveller.

In 2002, 20% agreed that ethnic minorities take jobs away from others in Scotland, while this has now increased to 27%.

Morag Alexander, the Scottish Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said the fact 29% thought prejudice acceptable was "disappointing and depressing".

Gay people
The number of people who are prejudiced against gays and lesbians is decreasing. However, while 54% believe homosexual couples should have the right to marry, 21% disagree.

A majority (57%) of those aged 65 and over,and most of those who attend a religious service regularly, believe that homosexual relations are always or mostly wrong.

The latest figures showed 51% believed someone running a bed and breakfast place should be allowed to refuse a booking for a same-sex couple, even though the survey was carried out before it became illegal to do so.

Calum Irving, director of Stonewall Scotland, said: "Many of these figures show massive improvements in attitudes towards lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Scotland."

Gender and work
Around one in five (22%) feels that women are more suitable than men are to be primary teachers, down from 28% in 2002, while 14% said that a woman's role is to stay at home, a three-point increase from 11% in 2002 .

Report co-author John Curtice said: "Perhaps the most we can say is that gender stereotyping of those women who are in employment may have declined."

Conclusions
Mr Curtice, a research consultant to the Scottish Centre for Social Research, said people were less likely to be discriminatory to others they know personally.

Where people live appears to make little difference to the likelihood that they will express a discriminatory attitude.

He said: "In particular, there is no evidence that those who live in an area where there is a relatively large proportion of Muslims, or a relatively large proportion of black and Asian people, are significantly less likely to express discriminatory attitudes towards those two groups."

The findings