Comparing Public and Private Support for Same-Sex Marriage in the United States

• In Event: 261 - Section on Political Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 04. Politics of Family, Gender, Sexuality

Abstract

Increasing support for same-sex marriage (SSM) coincides with persistent prejudice against lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals in the United States, demonstrating the need for multidimensional measures of attitudes toward SSM. Using national survey data from 2014, we compare two measures of support for SSM: a measure of public support for legalizing SSM, and a measure of private support of one’s child marrying someone of the same sex. We find important and unexpected differences between these measures within demographic sub-populations, particularly among Millennials, parents, and Black respondents. Our findings complicate the narrative of increasing public acceptance of SSM, supporting a theoretical explanation that highlights different cultural interpretations at work in public opinion.

Authors

• Evan Stewart, University of Minnesota

• Ryan T Steel, University of Minnesota

• Caitlin Taborda-Whitt, University of Minnesota

• Penny Edgell, University of Minnesota