Family Research Abstract of the Week: Religion Makes the U.S. Different

Family Research Abstract of the Week: Religion Makes the U.S. Different

Family Research Abstract of the Week: Religion Makes the U.S. Different

Family Research Abstract of the Week: Religion Makes the U.S. Different

What accounts for the success on this side of the Atlantic of
referenda strengthening state laws that recognize marriage as only the union
of one man and one woman? A study published by three American political
scientists, finding that religion more than anything else predicts attitudes
about sanctioning same-sex relationships, suggests that the stronger
religious character of the United States relative to Europe may be
responsible.

The researchers examined data from a PBS-commissioned telephone poll
of more than 1,600 American adults (which included oversamples of white
evangelical Protestants, African-Americans, and Hispanics) conducted in the
spring of 2004 just after the City of San Francisco began issuing marriage
licenses to parties of the same sex. The respondents were asked to what
degree they favored 1) allowing "gays and lesbians to marry legally" and 2)
the creation of "civil unions." Those who expressed disapproval to the first
question were also asked whether they support an amendment to the
Constitution to "ban gay marriage."

In multivariate tests, the researchers found that measures of
religious affiliation, religious practices, and moral attitudes yielded more
statistically significant correlations with the answers to the first two
questions than did demographic variables (age, marital status, gender, and
education). While respondents who were not Protestant (especially Jews,
secularists, and members of less conventional religions) were much more
likely than Protestants to support gay marriage and to lesser extent, civil
unions, respondents across all religious traditions who attend church
regularly expressed greater disapproval of same-sex relationships than did
those who did not attend church regularly.

The study also found that respondents who prioritized concern about
"moral values" above matters like the economy and terrorism-as well as those
who expressed traditional attitudes on morality and secularism-were also
more likely to oppose legal recognition of same-sex marriage and civil
unions. These religious and moral measures played a weaker role, however, in
predicting attitudes toward the federal marriage amendment, where political
conservatism was the strongest indicator of support. But as with the first
two questions, religious activity and involvement more than religious
affiliation contributed to expressing support for federal action.

While the study might have found broader support for natural marriage

had the survey questions been less biased in favor of same-sex constructs,

these findings explain what the researchers seem to lament: how religion
uniquely informs public opinion and policy on marriage.

(Source: Laura R. Olson, Wendy Cadge, and James T. Harrison, "Religion
and Public Opinion about Same-Sex Marriage," Social Science Quarterly 87
[June 2006]: 340-359. the Special Issue," Social Science Research 35 [June
2006]: 322-331.)

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Family Research Abstract of the Week: Religion Makes the U.S. Different

Family Research Abstract of the Week: Religion Makes the U.S. Different

Family Research Abstract of the Week: Religion Makes the U.S. Different

What accounts for the success on this side of the Atlantic of
referenda strengthening state laws that recognize marriage as only the union
of one man and one woman? A study published by three American political
scientists, finding that religion more than anything else predicts attitudes
about sanctioning same-sex relationships, suggests that the stronger
religious character of the United States relative to Europe may be
responsible.