Britons want to destigmatise prostitution… sort of

Britons think prostitution should be destigmatised. They just don’t want to be friends with prostitutes, and they certainly don’t want their children to enter the field, a new YouGov poll found.

Our new study looks at British attitudes to sex work and sex workers. Key findings include:

9% of men say they have paid for sex
52% of Brits say it should be legal to pay for sex
51% say sex work should not be stigmatised
43% say sex work is ‘real work’https://t.co/IeEuQxljXo pic.twitter.com/eOeOEfEnlV

— YouGov (@YouGov) February 28, 2024

Just over half said it should be legal to pay and be paid for sex, and roughly the same proportion of respondents said prostitution shouldn’t be stigmatised. Meanwhile, 77% would be upset if their child became a stripper, and 85% said the same about their child becoming a prostitute. Only 6% were willing to enter a relationship with a prostitute, and 41% were willing to be friends with a prostitute. Men, in their generosity, were markedly more likely than women to say they’re willing to befriend prostitutes and strippers.

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