Third of people are against adoption by gay couples and single people

13 November 2008 Alison Bennett Social Care

More than one in three people believe that single people and gay couples should not be allowed to adopt, according to a survey conducted by Action for Children.

The charity quizzed 1,000 adults and found the general public had ingrained attitudes about who should and shouldn't be able to adopt.

More than 80 per cent of people who thought that gay couples or single people shouldn't be allowed to adopt said it was because they thought children need both a male and female role model.

Meanwhile, more than three-quarters (76 per cent) felt it would lead to the breakdown of the traditional family and would not be in the best interests of the child.

Susan Cotton, adoption manager at Action for Children, called the findings "shocking and disappointing".

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