Recent research on public opinion toward same-sex marriage

I published two research articles on public opinion toward same-sex marriage this week. The two solo-authored research articles extend my previous research on attitudes toward this controversial issue.


The first piece, What’s marriage (and family) got to do with it? Support for same-sex marriage, legal unions, and gay and lesbian couples raising children was published by Social Science Quarterly. The article examines the impact of marital and family status and views on the purpose of marriage on support for gay marriage, legal unions, and gay and lesbian couples raising children. The bottom line: while ideological and religious values still matter most when it comes to predicting opinions on gay civil rights issues, it's also important to look at the role that marriage, family, and views on the purpose of marriage have in shaping the debate.


The second piece, Determinants of public support for same-sex marriage: Generational cohorts, social contact, and shifting attitudes was published in The International Journal of Public Opinion Research. The article examines the influence of generational affiliation and rates of social contact on support for same-sex marriage. The bottom line:  Age, or generational affiliation, is inversely related to issue support in that Millennials have the highest rates of social contact with gays and lesbians, the most liberal attitudes toward same-sex parent families, and show the broadest support for same-sex marriage. At the same time, rates of social contact are an important predictor of support for same-sex marriage irrespective of generational cohort membership. More specifically, the regression model suggests that social contact is a positive predictor of support for same-sex marriage even after controlling for demographics and religious and ideological value predispositions.


The same-sex marriage debate has been an important focus in my home state of Maryland and in various other locations across the country. Check out these recent articles for more information on the shifting opinion climate toward gay civil rights issues.




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