TY - JOUR
T1 - The "persuadable middle" on same-sex marriage
T2 - Formative research to build support among heterosexual college students
AU - Woodford, Michael R.
AU - Chonody, Jill
AU - Scherrer, Kristin
AU - Silverschanz, Perry
AU - Kulick, Alex
PY - 2012/3
Y1 - 2012/3
N2 - Same-sex marriage is a controversial policy issue that affects the welfare of gay and lesbian couples throughout the USA. Considerable research examines opinions about same-sex marriage; however, studies have not investigated the covariates of the "persuadable middle"-those individuals who are neutral or unsure about their views. This group of people is often the target of same-sex marriage campaigns, yet they have received no empirical attention. Using a sample of heterosexual college students, we conduct multinomial logistic regression to identify the factors associated with being neutral about same-sex marriage. Findings suggest that in comparison with those who endorse or oppose same-sex marriage, political ideology and views about the acceptability of same-sex relationships are influential in determining the "persuadable middle." Within each category other factors are identified. We discuss the implications for policy advocacy efforts to advance marriage equality.
AB - Same-sex marriage is a controversial policy issue that affects the welfare of gay and lesbian couples throughout the USA. Considerable research examines opinions about same-sex marriage; however, studies have not investigated the covariates of the "persuadable middle"-those individuals who are neutral or unsure about their views. This group of people is often the target of same-sex marriage campaigns, yet they have received no empirical attention. Using a sample of heterosexual college students, we conduct multinomial logistic regression to identify the factors associated with being neutral about same-sex marriage. Findings suggest that in comparison with those who endorse or oppose same-sex marriage, political ideology and views about the acceptability of same-sex relationships are influential in determining the "persuadable middle." Within each category other factors are identified. We discuss the implications for policy advocacy efforts to advance marriage equality.
KW - College students
KW - Gay
KW - Heterosexism
KW - Legal rights
KW - Lesbian
KW - Same-sex marriage
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84857652904&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s13178-011-0073-y
DO - 10.1007/s13178-011-0073-y
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84857652904
SN - 1868-9884
VL - 9
SP - 1
EP - 14
JO - Sexuality Research and Social Policy
JF - Sexuality Research and Social Policy
IS - 1
ER -