ISSUE GUIDES: Gay Rights
The Red Flags section offers guidance on areas of public opinion research where findings may be misleading, unstable, or easily misinterpreted. Public Agenda uses several indicators to judge when survey results should be reported and used cautiously.
Red Flag Statements
| Ambivalence and Mixed Messages | Marriage by Another Name? | Disapproval vs. Punishment |
A number of findings suggest that many Americans feel some tension between their desire to be fair to those who are different from themselves and a lingering unease with homosexuality itself. Survey questions about whether American society should accept homosexuality often draw different responses depending on the examples mentioned. This is generally an indication of public ambivalence. Surveys show that acceptance of gays and lesbians has risen significantly, and currently about half of Americans say homosexuality should be an acceptable lifestyle. Questions that raise the issue of fair treatment typically draw much higher levels of public support. For instance, substantial majorities of Americans say they support equal protection for homosexuals against hate crimes and equal rights in terms of housing and jobs. But while there is near-universal support for equal hiring in sales jobs and other occupations, smaller majorities support gays as teachers and clergy. Similarly, surveys show that slight majorities say a gay person could be a good role model and as good a parent as anyone, yet they are divided on whether they would allow a homosexual to baby-sit their child and half say they oppose allowing gay couples to adopt.
- Acceptance of homosexuality has grown significantly
- Americans are divided on whether homosexuality should be accepted or discouraged by society
- Large majorities of Americans say gays should be hired in sales, as doctors, in the armed forces and as a member of...
- Most Americans say homosexuals should have equal employment and housing rights
- Seven in 10 Americans say they would favor hate crime laws to protect gays and lesbians
- Six in 10 people say a gay person can be a good role model for a child, but they are divided on whether they would permit...
- Slightly more than half of Americans say gay couples can be as good parents as heterosexual couples, but half say they oppose...
Tags: A majority of Americans oppose same-sex marriage, but the word "marriage" makes a big difference in survey results. For example, survey questions that suggest giving gay couples joint inheritance or health benefits (without using the word marriage) show majorities in favor. And as many as half say they would support civil unions. Question wording can change results in other ways as well. Six in 10 people tell pollsters they oppose gay marriage (half of them say they “strongly oppose” it) and roughly as many say gay marriage would violate their religious beliefs. Yet six in 10 also say legal recognition is inevitable and, when given the option, nearly one-third says it doesn’t matter to them either way. Results like these suggest that many people are still wrestling with the implications of same-sex marriage, so surveys on this issue should be interpreted cautiously.
- Americans are evenly divided on whether they would support civil unions
- Four in 10 Americans say they oppose any legal recognition of gay couples, but nearly six in 10 say it is inevitable
- More than half of Americans say gay spouses should receive benefits like inheritance rights, health insurance and Social...
- Six in 10 Americans say they oppose gay marriage and just as many say it would go against their religious beliefs
- Support for giving gay couples the same legal rights as married couples varies depending on question wording and three in 10...
On some questions of personal conduct, such as abortion and adultery, surveys show that significant numbers of Americans want these actions to be illegal. However, that doesn't necessarily mean the public wants people to be arrested. These Americans may be willing to tolerate these activities as unfortunate facts of life, but they also fear that making something "legal" sends a message that it is also acceptable. For this group, making something "illegal" sends a strong statement of social disapproval. Those who want homosexuality to be "illegal" follow precisely this pattern. As one survey shows, roughly a third of Americans say homosexuality should be illegal, but most of these people change their minds when asked whether consenting adults engaging in homosexual activities in private should be prosecuted for a crime. [The U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws against sodomy in 2003.] Although the numbers fluctuate, people are currently less likely to say homosexual relations should be illegal. It is also significant that most people, despite public controversy, don’t seem to want strong government action. Strong majorities say gay marriage should not be an important issue in the 2004 elections. And more than half of Americans say allowing gay marriage would demean the institution of marriage, but just as many say the government should not promote traditional marriages. See also our Red Flags on Abortion
- Majorities of Americans say gay marriage should not be an important issue in the 2004 elections
- Many who say homosexual relations should be illegal change their minds when told it could mean that consenting adults...
- More than half of Americans say allowing gay marriages would degrade the institution of marriage, but just as many say the...
- The number of Americans saying homosexual relations should be legal fluctuates
Public Agenda uses several indicators to judge when survey results should be reported and used cautiously:
- Results change when survey questions are reworded slightly.
- Results change when implications or trade-offs of a policy are pointed out.
- Results may be misleading if reported in isolation or out of context.
- Other research suggests that people have incomplete or inaccurate knowledge in this area.
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