The Evolution of Public Opinion about Gay Marriage

Abstract

Using data from the General Social Survey and the Pew Research Center, this chapter analyzes the extent to which the change in American public opinion about gay marriage between 1988 and 2014 is due to age, cohort, and period effects. It also examines the extent to which people’s moral judgments, attitudes, and beliefs about homosexuality account for the change in public opinion over time. The analyses show that cohort and period have effects on support for gay marriage, independent of ideology, worldview, and other demographic variables, but they leave unanswered questions about how and why cohort and period affect public opinion as they do.