Change and Continuity in Attitudes Toward Homosexuality Across the Lifespan. 2023

David Ekstam
Department of Government, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

This study examines differential stability in attitudes toward homosexuality using panel data representative of the American adult population. While attitudes toward homosexuality have shifted considerably on the aggregate-level over the past few decades, this study shows that such attitudes are remarkably stable on the individual-level. Employing conditional change models, this study also provides a test of the aging-stability hypothesis with regard to attitudes toward homosexuality. That hypothesis is confirmed, as attitude stability is found to gradually increase with age. However, no other socio-demographic variables are found to have a consistent relationship with stability. The finding of an age-graded increase in stability suggests that attitudes toward homosexuality are formed predominantly early in life and that susceptibility to attitude change declines across the adult lifespan. This finding also supports a generational replacement explanation of recent changes in American public opinion on homosexuality as aging-stability translates into cohort effects on the aggregate-level.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008136 Longevity The normal length of time of an organism's life. Length of Life,Life Span,Lifespan,Life Spans,Lifespans
D011639 Public Opinion The attitude of a significant portion of a population toward any given proposition, based upon a measurable amount of factual evidence, and involving some degree of reflection, analysis, and reasoning. Interest Groups,Pro-Choice Groups,Public Opinion Polls,Group, Interest,Group, Pro-Choice,Groups, Interest,Groups, Pro-Choice,Interest Group,Opinion Poll, Public,Opinion Polls, Public,Opinion, Public,Poll, Public Opinion,Polls, Public Opinion,Pro Choice Groups,Pro-Choice Group,Public Opinion Poll
D006716 Homosexuality The sexual attraction or relationship between members of the same SEX. Homosexuality, Ego-Dystonic,Ego-Dystonic Homosexuality,Homosexuality, Ego Dystonic
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000072339 Sexual and Gender Minorities Individuals including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, gender non-conforming people, and other populations whose sexual orientation or GENDER IDENTITY and reproductive development is considered outside cultural, societal, or physiological norms. Gays,Gender Diverse,LGBTQ,LGBTQIA,Bisexuals,GLBT Persons,Gender Minorities,Homosexuals,LBG Persons,LGBT Persons,LGBTQ Persons,Lesbians,Lesbigay Persons,Men Who Have Sex With Men,Non-Heterosexual Persons,Non-Heterosexuals,Queers,Sexual Dissidents,Sexual Minorities,Women Who Have Sex With Women,Bisexual,Dissident, Sexual,Dissidents, Sexual,Diverse, Gender,GLBT Person,Gay,Gender Minority,Homosexual,LBG Person,LGBT Person,LGBTQ Person,Lesbian,Lesbigay Person,Minorities, Gender,Minorities, Sexual,Minority, Gender,Minority, Sexual,Non Heterosexual Persons,Non Heterosexuals,Non-Heterosexual,Non-Heterosexual Person,Person, GLBT,Person, LBG,Person, LGBT,Person, LGBTQ,Person, Lesbigay,Person, Non-Heterosexual,Persons, GLBT,Persons, LBG,Persons, LGBT,Persons, LGBTQ,Persons, Lesbigay,Queer,Sexual Dissident,Sexual Minority
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D001290 Attitude An enduring, learned predisposition to behave in a consistent way toward a given class of objects, or a persistent mental and/or neural state of readiness to react to a certain class of objects, not as they are but as they are conceived to be. Sentiment,Attitudes,Opinions,Opinion,Sentiments

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