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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Introduction This research examined the general attitudes toward lesbian women and gay men (LG people), same-sex marriage
(SSM), and LG parenting (LGP) in a large sample of young heterosexual European adults. We expected that one’s country of
origin, gender role traditionalism, contact, and religiosity would predict their responses.
Methods We conducted a large-scale study from April 2012 to November 2014. The sample consisted of 13,403 self-identified
heterosexual students from Belgium, Italy, France, Portugal, Poland, Spain, and Greece (38.7% men and 61.2% women). The
main research variables were general attitudes toward LG people, support for same-sex coupling and parenting, gender role
traditionalism beliefs, frequency and quality of the contact with LG people, and religiosity.
Results We found that the attitudes toward these issues were significantly more negative in Poland and less negative in Greece
than in the other countries included in the sample. In addition, these national differences were explained by psychological
variables, mainly religiosity and general attitudes toward LG people. Although participants’ higher satisfaction levels regarding
their contact with LG people and lower levels of gender role traditionalism were associated with positive attitudes toward SSM
and parenting, these factors did not account for the attitudinal variability between these countries.
Conclusions Attitudes toward LG people are changing throughout Europe and are influenced by each country’s sociopolitical
context. We highlight the societal importance of attitudes toward SSM and LG parenting and recommend facilitating positive
social contact in universities and other settings to improve young adult heterosexuals’ attitudes.
Policy Implications This study’s results can inform policies aiming to reduce inequality and develop more inclusive policies on
same-sex parented families and couples.
Description
Keywords
Attitudes Lesbian and gay couples Lesbian and gay parents Homophobia Gender role traditionalism Religiosity Contact with lesbian and gay people
Citation
D’Amore, S., Wollast, R., Green, R.-J., Bouchat, P., Costa, P. A., Katuzny, K., Scali, T., Baiocco, R., Vecho, O., Mijas, M. E., Aparicio, M. E., Geroulanou, K., & Klein, O. (2020). Heterosexual university students’ attitudes toward same-sex couples and parents across seven european countries. Sexuality Research & Social Policy: A Journal of the NSRC. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-020-00511-4
Publisher
Springer New York