AUSTRALIANS have become far more relaxed about homosexuality in the past 15 years, with less than half strongly opposed.

Research has found attitudes have softened since 1984-85 despite the fear generated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Then, only 16 per cent of people believed sexual relations between two adults of the same sex was "not wrong at all". By 1999-2000, this had jumped to 28 per cent.

Those regarding homosexuality as "always wrong" declined from 64 per cent in 1984-85 to 48 per cent by 1999-2000.

The research, to be published in the University of Melbourne's Australian Social Monitor journal, found most Australians were unambiguous in their views on homosexuality.

The study's author, Dr Jonathan Kelley, said there were no shades of grey in people's views.

Men were generally less tolerant than women – as were people with less education. Religion and age also revealed sharp differences in tolerance levels.

Dr Kelley used results from the International Social Science Survey conducted in Australia and 28 other countries in 1999-2000.

On a scale of zero (always wrong) to 100 (not wrong at all) Australians were ranked at 41, slightly below the middle.

"Every nation has moral reservations about homosexuality," Dr Kelley said. "But the intensity of those reservations varies greatly from mild distaste in the Netherlands to intense revulsion in Chile and the Philippines."

Filipinos were the least tolerant, at 8 points, then Chileans (9). Dutch were the most tolerant with 77 points, ahead of the Swiss (62) and the Danes (60).

New Zealanders ranked equally with Australians at 41 points. Britons were more tolerant, at 46 points. France, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden and Spain all ranked in the 50s.

Less tolerant of homosexuality than Australians were the Irish at 29 points, Americans at 31, and Italians at 32.