Ending conversion practices in Scotland - consultation analysis: SG response
Scottish Government response to the consultation analysis on ending conversion practices Scotland. This responds to some of the issues raised in responses to the consultation and what we are doing now.
Consultation respondent numbers and profile
14. In total, 5,811 responses to the consultation were available for analysis. 5,649 responses were from individual members of the public (accounting for 97% of all responses) and 162 from groups or organisations.
15. The table below outlines organisation respondent groups according to the categories defined by analysts, which took into account both the organisation type and their views. It shows that more than half of organisational responses were from faith or belief bodies or groups, including in some cases responses from individual churches within the same religious denomination. This was reflected to an extent in individual responses from people who disagreed with the legislative proposals, with many making reference to concerns about religious freedoms and beliefs.
Respondents by type (A-Z)
Campaign group, policy forum or think tank: 10
Faith or belief body or group: 84
Family or parental support group: 4
LGB group[2]: 3
LGBTQI+ group: 13
Medical, psychology or counselling group or body: 17
Political party or trade union: 10
Public body or local authority: 2
Social work, legal or community safety group or body: 5
Third sector: 7
Women's groups: 7
Organisation total: 162
Individuals: 5649
All respondents (individual and organisations): 5811
16. In the full analysis report analysts highlighted that, as with any consultation exercise, the views expressed by consultation respondents cannot necessarily be seen as representative of wider public opinion because those responding generally have a particular interest in the subject area.
17. Analysis demonstrated that many respondents had drawn on materials produced by, or responses provided by, one or more organisations. During review of the consultation responses, analysts identified that many answers were based on guidance from organisations about what to include and how to phrase responses. Some of these contained inaccurate interpretations of the proposals which were then repeated across responses. While we acknowledge that responses reflected the individuals' own views, we note the role of these organisational guidance in informing the content of those responses.
18. For question 1, a small majority of all respondents – 54% of those answering the question did not support the proposed definition of conversion practices, compared to 45% of respondents who did support the approach.