Comparison of Indonesian and American College Students' Attitudes toward Homosexuality

Abstract

Indonesian and U.S. college students were compared to assess whether an interaction of sex of subject by sex of target on attitudes toward homosexuals would be replicated cross-culturally. The Indonesian sample was expected to hold more traditional attitudes toward women's gender-role behavior which was expected to override the interaction of sex of subject by sex of target. Knowledge of AIDS was expected to be correlated with attitudes toward homosexuals. Analysis showed that the interaction of sex of subject by sex of homosexual target was present in both samples. Knowledge of AIDS was correlated with attitudes toward homosexuals for the U.S. sample but not for the Indonesian sample. Attitudes toward women's gender-roles were correlated with attitudes toward homosexuals in both samples.