OVER TWO-THIRDS of Irish people support gay marriage, according to the results of an Irish Times/Behaviour Attitudes social poll.

The poll focused on “sex, sin and society” and the results would indicate that the Irish don’t live up the stereotype of being sexually repressed – demonstrating a liberal attitude to homosexuality, sex before marriage, and co-habitation.

The poll found:

• 67% of those surveyed believe that gay couples should be allowed to marry
• 60% believe civil partnerships for gay couples will not undermine the institution of marriage
• 91% say they would not think less of a person if they revealed they were gay or lesbian

The results apply to most age groups and to those living in both rural and urban areas.

The attitude towards co-habitation is also broadly similar across age groups, with a majority of people (57%) believing that living together before marriage leads to a more stable marriage.

People were slightly more divided on the issue of whether gay couples should be allowed to adopt children: 46% support gay couples adopting, while 38% oppose the idea.

However when asked about how they viewed sex before marriage the respondents reached a consensus once again, with 79% not regarding sex before marriage as immoral. When the results were broken down by religion, 79% of Catholics also said they saw nothing wrong with sex before marriage.

Only 15% of people thought the practice was immoral, who were mostly older people or living in rural regions.

The attitudes towards celibacy showed 62% of older people admired the practice, while under half that figure of younger people did.

The poll also showed that people believe that teenagers should wait until they are 18 year of age before they have sex for the first time, which a year older than the age of consent.