diff --git a/spring-rabbit/src/main/java/org/springframework/amqp/rabbit/core/RabbitTemplate.java b/spring-rabbit/src/main/java/org/springframework/amqp/rabbit/core/RabbitTemplate.java
index ca1858ce..3d68aff3 100644
--- a/spring-rabbit/src/main/java/org/springframework/amqp/rabbit/core/RabbitTemplate.java
+++ b/spring-rabbit/src/main/java/org/springframework/amqp/rabbit/core/RabbitTemplate.java
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ public class RabbitTemplate extends RabbitAccessor implements BeanFactoryAware,
 
 	private boolean userCorrelationId;
 
-	private boolean usePublisherConnection;
+	private boolean usePublisherConnection = true;
 
 	/**
 	 * Convenient constructor for use with setter injection. Don't forget to set the connection factory.
diff --git a/src/reference/asciidoc/amqp.adoc b/src/reference/asciidoc/amqp.adoc
index 39679c33..8b62cff8 100644
--- a/src/reference/asciidoc/amqp.adoc
+++ b/src/reference/asciidoc/amqp.adoc
@@ -1069,12 +1069,12 @@ Examples:
 The first example is a literal expression; the second obtains the `username` property from a connection factory bean in the application context.
 
 [[separate-connection]]
-===== Using a Separate Connection
+===== Using a Separate Connection for RabbitTemplate and Consumers
 
-Starting with _version 2.0.2_, set the `usePublisherConnection` property to `true` to use a different connection to that used by listener containers, when possible.
-This is to avoid consumers being blocked when a producer is blocked for any reason.
-The `CachingConnectionFactory` now maintains a second internal connection factory for this purpose.
+Starting with _version 2.1_, the `RabbitTemplate` `usePublisherConnection` property is true by default to avoid consumers being blocked when a producer is blocked for any reason.
+The `CachingConnectionFactory` maintains a second internal connection factory for this purpose.
 If the rabbit template is running in a transaction started by the listener container, the container's channel is used, regardless of this setting.
+To revert to the previous behavior of using the same connection as listener containers, set the template's property to `false`.
 
 [[sending-messages]]
 ==== Sending messages
diff --git a/src/reference/asciidoc/whats-new.adoc b/src/reference/asciidoc/whats-new.adoc
index 125b1a34..21765b44 100644
--- a/src/reference/asciidoc/whats-new.adoc
+++ b/src/reference/asciidoc/whats-new.adoc
@@ -18,3 +18,8 @@ RabbitMQ `ConnectionFactory` instances created by the `RabbitConnectionFactoryBe
 
 Certain classes have moved to different packages; most are internal classes and won't affect user applications.
 Two exceptions are `ChannelAwareMessageListener` and `RabbitListenerErrorHandler`; these interfaces are now in `org.springframework.amqp.rabbit.listener.api`.
+
+===== RabbitTemplate Changes
+
+The `RabbitTemplate` now sets `usePublisherConnection` to `true` by default.
+See <<separate-connection>> for more information.