Explaining Public Opinion toward Transgender People, Rights, and Candidates

Jones, Phil; Brewer, Paul R.; Hoffman, Lindsay H.; Lambe, Jennifer; Young, Dannagal G.

doi:10.1093/poq/nfy009

Cited by 85 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Studies find reduced prejudice toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations resulting from exposure to LGBT persons or fictional LGBT storylines in mass media (Bond & Compton, 2015; Flores et al, 2018; Galinec & Korajlija, 2017; Garretson, 2015; Gillig et al, 2018; Hoffarth & Hodson, 2018; Jones et al, 2018; McDermott et al, 2018; Riggle et al, 1996; Schiappa et al, 2006; Solomon, Kurtz-Costes, 2018). Where transgender persons are concerned, this research finds ameliorating effects on various cognitive and affective measures of anti-transgender bias, but disagrees over whether parasocial interactions induce more pro-transgender policy preferences.…”

Section: Effects Of Parasocial Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Individuals likely process the Jenner story through various predispositions and biases. Research shows that influences on American attitudes toward transgender rights include: affect toward transgender persons, authoritarianism, disgust sensitivity, core values, gender conformity, identity priming and gender roles, contact with gays and lesbians, elite cues, need for closure, and predictable demographic correlates (Flores, 2015; Flores et al, 2018; Haider-Markel et al, 2017; Harrison & Michelson, 2019; Jones & Brewer, 2018; Jones et al, 2018; Miller et al, 2017; Norton & Herek, 2013; Tadlock et al, 2017). Although any of these could affect engagement with the Jenner story, our focus is on negative bias toward transgender persons, termed “transphobia.”…”

Section: Transphobia As a Potential Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Politics of Being “Cait”: Caitlyn Jenner, Transphobia, and Parasocial Contact Effects on Transgender-Related Political Attitudes

Miller

Flores

Haider‐Markel

et al. 2020

American Politics Research

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Celebrities saturate American culture and often become relevant in politics, yet political science has largely left unstudied how celebrities affect mass political behavior. We focus on the 2015 story of Caitlyn Jenner revealing her transgender identity. Using an original nationally representative survey from that summer, we examine whether following the Jenner story and evaluations of its social significance affected attitudes toward transgender rights policies. Specifically, we examine how age and transphobia interacted with engagement with the Jenner story to shape attitudes toward transgender rights. We find, counterintuitively, that older respondents who were more transphobic were less likely to see her story as representing negative social trends if they followed it in the media. Furthermore, more transphobic older respondents were more likely to support pro-transgender policies if they viewed Jenner’s story less negatively. We then discuss the implications of our findings for research on celebrity effects on politics and transgender rights.

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Section: Effects Of Parasocial Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Transphobia As a Potential Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

The Politics of Being “Cait”: Caitlyn Jenner, Transphobia, and Parasocial Contact Effects on Transgender-Related Political Attitudes

Miller

Flores

Haider‐Markel

et al. 2020

American Politics Research

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“…While many studies on social diversity focus on the effects of interethnic (Kasara 2013; Scacco and Warren 2018) or inter-religious exposure (Raymond 2016), there is mounting evidence that exposure to LGBTQ persons via interpersonal contact has an especially strong effect on pro-gay attitudes (Broockman and Kallah 2016; Flores 2015; Flores et al 2017; Herek and Capitanio 1996; Lewis et al 2017; Lewis 2011; Tadlock et al 2017). Critically, exposure to LGBTQs via the media, or parasocial contact (Schiappa, Gregg, and Hewes 2005), can produce similar positive effects on attitudes (Garretson 2015; Jones et al 2018; Schiappa, Gregg, and Hewes 2006). Television shows such as Queer as Folk and Will and Grace are cited as examples of gay representation that helped shift the tide towards pro-gay attitudes in the United States (Gross 2001).…”

Section: Theoretical Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Media's Influence on LGBTQ Support Across Africa

Winkler

2019

Brit. J. Polit. Sci.

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Political leaders across Africa frequently accuse the media of promoting homosexuality, while activists often use the media to promote pro-LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) narratives. Despite extensive research on how the media affects public opinion, including studies that show how exposure to certain information can increase support of LGBTQs, there is virtually no research on how the media influences attitudes towards LGBTQs across Africa. This study develops a theory that accounts for actors' mixed approach to the media and shows how different types of media create distinct effects on public opinion of LGBTQs. Specifically, the study finds that radio and television have no, or a negative, significant effect on pro-gay attitudes, whereas individuals who consume more newspapers, internet or social media are significantly more likely to support LGBTQs (by approximately 2 to 4 per cent). The author argues that these differential effects are conditional on censorship of queer representation from certain mediums. The analysis confirms that the results are not driven by selection effects, and that the relationship is unique to LGBTQ support but not other social attitudes. The results have important implications, especially given the growing politicization of same-sex relations and changing media consumption habits across Africa.

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“…The first study on U.S. attitudes toward transgender people using a nationally representative sample showed that negative attitudes were associated with authoritarianism, ideological conservatism, anti-egalitarianism, and support of a binary conception of gender (Norton & Herek, 2013). Other studies revealed negative correlations with traits such as disgust sensitivity and moral traditionalism, extending to attitudes toward transgender people, candidates, and related policies (Flores et al, 2018a;Jones et al, 2018;Miller et al, 2017;Taylor et al, 2018a).…”

Section: Public Opinion Toward Transgender Peoplementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Demographic characteristics, including education, race, sexual orientation, partisanship, ideology, and age, were also associated with attitudes toward transgender people (Castle, 2018; Jones et al, 2018; Lewis et al, 2017; Norton & Herek, 2013; Tadlock et al, 2017). Generally, higher levels of educational attainment, racially identifying as White, Democratic partisanship, liberal ideological self-placement, and LGBTQ identification are each positively associated with pro-transgender positions.…”

Section: Public Opinion Toward Transgender Peoplementioning

confidence: 99%

Public Attitudes on Transgender Military Service: The Role of Gender

Lewis

Tadlock

Flores

et al. 2019

Armed Forces & Society

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Policy regarding the inclusion of transgender soldiers in the U.S. Military has shifted back and forth in recent years, with public opinion likely a significant factor shaping the eventual policy outcome. As such, this study examines the factors that shape public attitudes toward military service by transgender people. In particular, we examine the influence of sex, social gender roles, and attitudes toward gender in shaping transgender military service attitudes. Further, we hypothesize that personal experiences with the military and with transgender people, along with values, personality predispositions, and religion, are likely to influence individual attitudes. We test these hypotheses using data from a unique October 2015 national survey of American adults. The results suggest that personal experiences, attitudes toward gender roles, and religion have substantial but sometimes conditional effects on attitudes toward military service by transgender people.

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Explaining Public Opinion toward Transgender People, Rights, and Candidates

Cited by 85 publications

References 30 publications

The Politics of Being “Cait”: Caitlyn Jenner, Transphobia, and Parasocial Contact Effects on Transgender-Related Political Attitudes

The Politics of Being “Cait”: Caitlyn Jenner, Transphobia, and Parasocial Contact Effects on Transgender-Related Political Attitudes

Media's Influence on LGBTQ Support Across Africa

Public Attitudes on Transgender Military Service: The Role of Gender

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