Cross-National Public Opinion about Homosexuality: Examining Attitudes across the Globe

✍ Scribed by Amy Adamczyk

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2017
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 303
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Public opinion about homosexuality varies substantially around the world. While residents in some nations have embraced gay rights as human rights, people in many other countries find homosexuality unacceptable. What creates such big differences in attitudes? This book shows that cross-national differences in opinion can be explained by the strength of democratic institutions, the level of economic development, and the religious context of the places where people live. Amy Adamczyk uses survey data from almost ninety societies, case studies of various countries, content analysis of newspaper articles, and in-depth interviews to examine how demographic and individual characteristics influence acceptance of homosexuality.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents
List of Illustrations
Introduction: Patterns across Nations, Mixed Methods, and the Selection of Countries
Part One: Public Opinion across the World
1. The Importance of Religion, and the Role of Individual Differences
2. The Importance of Democracy and Economic Development
Part Two: Comparative Case Studies for Understanding Attitudes
3. Shaping Attitudes in Protestant Nations: A Comparison of the United States, Uganda, and South Africa
4. Understanding Views in Muslim Countries: An Analysis of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Turkey
5. The Relatively Liberal Views of People from Catholic- Majority Countries: An Examination of Spain, Italy, and Brazil
Part Three: Views on Homosexuality in East Asia
6. Investigating Public Opinion in Confucian Nations: Buddhism and the Importance of Family Ties in East Asia
7. Shaping Attitudes in Taiwan: A Case Study (OK, but Not in My Family)
Conclusion: Other Religions, Outliers, and the Future
Appendix A. Countries Included in the WVS HLM Analysis, by Homosexuality Laws as of 2015 and the Nation’s Dominant Religion
Appendix B. WVS Data and Hierarchical Models
Appendix C. Additional Macro-Level Indicators
Appendix D. Details on the Content Analysis of Newspaper Articles
Notes
Bibliography
Index