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What's Marriage (and Family) Got to Do with It? Support for Same‐Sex Marriage, Legal Unions, and Gay and Lesbian Couples Raising Children
Author(s) -
Becker Amy B.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
social science quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1540-6237
pISSN - 0038-4941
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2012.00844.x
Subject(s) - lesbian , marital status , ideology , raising (metalworking) , family values , psychology , child support , gender studies , same sex , social psychology , sociology , politics , political science , demography , law , population , mathematics , geometry
Objectives The current study extends research on public opinion toward gay civil rights by considering the impact of marital and family status and views on the purpose of marriage on support for same‐sex marriage, legal unions, and gay and lesbian couples raising children. Methods Data from the 2007 Pew Research Center's Social Trends Report were analyzed using hierarchical ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. Models exploring both direct and interactive effects were constructed. Results The results suggest that marital and family status play a role in influencing issue attitudes and that views on the purpose of marriage moderate the influence of conservative ideological and religious value predispositions on support for same‐sex marriage, legal unions, and gay and lesbian couples raising children. Conclusions Implications of the findings and the changing demographics of marriage and family are discussed.