The Shifting Foundations of Public Opinion about Gay Rights

Abstract

This study tests two explanations for the recent increase in support among the American public for gay rights policies. One possibility is that shifts in the aggregate levels of predispositions such as egalitarianism, moral traditionalism, feelings toward gays and lesbians, partisanship, and ideology produced changes in policy opinions. Another possibility is that shifts in the underlying structure of opinion—that is, shifts in the how citizens used these predispositions to think about the issue—produced changes in support for gay rights. An analysis of data from the 1992, 1996, and 2000 National Election Studies showed that both types of shifts explained why Americans became increasingly favorable toward gay rights policies over this span.