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Survey reveals attitudes against adoptive parents

More than a third of people believe that single people and gay couples should not be allowed to adopt, new research suggests.

A survey, published last week by Action for Children, formerly NCH,asked 1,000 adults their views on adoption.

Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed said that they were againstsingle people adopting, and 38 per cent said gay couples should not beallowed to adopt; among those who objected to single or gay coupleadoptions, 87 per cent said it was because they thought that childrenneed both a male and female role model, and three-quarters said singleor gay couple adoptions would lead to the breakdown of the traditionalfamily.

Only one in ten people questioned said that they were likely to consideradopting a child.

The survey, entitled Who should be allowed to adopt?, also revealeddifferences between men and women about views on who should andshouldn't be allowed to adopt. Half of the men questioned thought thatsingle men should not be allowed to adopt, compared with only 35 percent of women, while 38 per cent of men thought that single women shouldnot be allowed to adopt, compared with 23 per cent of women.

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