A poll undertaken by Chile’s National Youth Institute (INJUV) has found that 70% of young people in the traditionally conservative country said that they supported same-sex marriage, and most approved of adoption for same-sex couples too.

Gay marriage is currently banned in the country but the Chilean congress is soon to approve a law on civil unions for both gay and straight couples – although this will not be equivalent to marriage.

The poll, ‘Perceptions about Sexual Diversity’, revealed that 64 percent of youth approve of adoption for same-sex couples, while another 51 percent think that a child’s development will not be affected by having same-sex parents.

Eighty-four percent said they regarded homosexuality as a ‘valid sexual orientation’. This figure compares with 6% in a similar poll from 20 years ago, indicating a tremendous shift in societal attitudes.

Chile, like other Latin American countries, has been making strides in its recognition of LGBT rights. Same-sex activity was decriminalized in 1998, while a law was introduced in July 2012 that offers protection against ‘arbitrary discrimination’. Gay men are allowed to donate blood (since 2012), and lesbians can access IVF treatment, although there remains an unequal age of consent (18 for homosexuals and 14 for heterosexuals), and adoption and marriage for same-sex couples are not allowed.

A civil union bill was passed by the Chile senate in January of this year but is awaiting formal approval by the Chamber of Deputies. The country’s President, Michelle Bachelet, said during her re-election campaign in the spring that she supported the bill and wanted to see it passed.