Not So Private Lives is a national study of the relationships of same-sex attracted Australians conducted at the University of Queensland and released in September 2009.
NSPLs asked respondents their views on different forms of legal relationship recognition.
The results are the best indication available of the attitudes of gay and lesbian Australians to marriage as an institution, to marriage equality and to other forms of relationship recognition.
The key findings about marriage equality were:
- 80% of same-sex attracted participants said marriage should be an option for same-sex couples in Australia.
- A majority (54.1%) said they would marry if they had the choice.
- This figure rose to over 60% among people under 30.
- Only 25.6% stated they preferred a federally recognised relationship (eg civil union) other than marriage.
- 17.7% preferred to be recognised as de facto partners and 1.3% preferred no legal status.
The implications of these findings are clear:
- Gay and lesbian Australians overwhelmingly support marriage equality.
- More than twice as many gay and lesbian Australians prefer marriage to civil unions as a way to recognise personal relationships. More than three times more gays and lesbians prefer marriage to de facto status.
For the University of Queensland media release about Not So Private Lives, click here
For further media coverage of the report, click here
To download a report on those aspects of the study about relationships and the law, click here