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Report
The Effect of Same-Sex Marriage Policy on Mass Attitudes
Backlash, consensus, legitimacy, or polarization
January 2016
- Overview
- Highlights
- Report
This study assesses the effect of marriage equality on public attitudes toward gay men and lesbians by comparing data from surveys before and after marriage was extended to same-sex couples. It was published in Political Research Quarterly in December 2015.
Highlights
Policy changes play a role in encouraging people to reconsider their previous opinions on LGBT rights and attitudes toward gay men and lesbians.
Instilling new policy supportive of a minority group fosters greater approval, or at least less opposition, to that group.
The analysis found no large or long-lasting negative reaction to marriage equality among the general public.