Beliefs About the Origins of Homosexuality and Support For Gay Rights An Empirical Test of Attribution Theory
By Donald P. Haider‐Markel, M. Joslyn. 2008
339 citations recorded by the source corpus.
In this study, we employ Weiner's attribution theory of controllability to examine beliefs about the origins of homosexuality. If the cause of homosexuality is perceived as controllable (learned, environmental, or an individual choice), negative affect toward homosexuals and reduced support for policies relevant to the group can be expected. If the cause is perceived as uncontrollable (biological or genetic in origin), positive affect and increased support for polices is anticipated. Our analyses of data from two unique surveys of national adults corroborate these hypotheses, showing that positive feelings toward gays, support for gay civil rights, civil unions, and same-sex marriage are strongly determined by a genetic attribution for homosexuality. Attributions are in fact the strongest predictor of support. We distinguish our analysis from previous research by examining the important role of religion, ideology, and experience, in shaping attributions.
Subfields: Political Science and International Relations, Social Psychology, Sociology and Political Science
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/2995718bb2082d18410d9f77de70d6919fba20a5
How researchers see this paper
The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.
In Political Science and International Relations
In Social Psychology
- T. Proulx
- Steven J. Heine
- Ilan Dar-Nimrod
- Brittany S. Liu
- Peter H. Ditto
- G. Herek
- Christopher J. Lyons
- Adrienne B. Dessel
In Sociology and Political Science
- T. Proulx
- Steven J. Heine
- Ilan Dar-Nimrod
- Brittany S. Liu
- Peter H. Ditto
- Bo M. Winegard
- G. Herek
- Joseph A. Bulbulia
Citations in the corpus
- Essentially Biased: Why People Are Fatalistic About Genes (2017, background): “As we have discussed, attributing genetic origins to criminality (e.g., Cheung & Heine, 2015) and sexual orientation (e.g., Haider-Markel & Joslyn, 2008) may indeed increase tolerance for behaviors that are otherwise stigmatized, as these behaviors are seen as immutable and natural.”
- Tribalism Is Human Nature (2019, background): “…over their sexuality because homosexuality is considered immoral by a substantial proportion of the religious believers in the Republican coalition (Haider-Markel & Joslyn, 2008), and contending that it is a free decision rather than an innate inclination is more compelling for moral condemnation…”
- Internalized Stigma Among Sexual Minority Adults: Insights From a Social Psychological Perspective (2009, background): “For example, the belief that sexual orientation is involuntary and immutable is generally associated with lower levels of prejudice among heterosexuals, at least in the United States (e.g., Haider-Markel & Joslyn, 2008).”