Religion and Public Opinion Toward Same‐Sex Relations, Marriage, and Adoption: Does the Type of Practice Matter?

Abstract

This study examines how religion's impact on Americans’ attitudes toward same‐sex practices varies by the type of practice being considered. We theorize that same‐sex romantic and family practices such as sexual relations, marriage, and adoption represent distinct practice types, differing in degrees of legality, cultural legitimacy, and in their internal power dynamics. Consequently, we expect that Americans view each practice type somewhat differently and their opinions on each may be influenced by religion in distinctive ways. Drawing upon national‐level data, we estimate and compare the relative net effects of a comprehensive battery of religious measures on support for gay sex, marriage, and adoption, both for the full sample and across religious traditions. Analyses demonstrate that public opinion toward gay sexual relations is more strongly related to religious practice and theological conservatism compared to attitudes regarding same‐sex marriage or adoption. Moreover, frequent religious practice and conservative theological beliefs about the Bible tend to be more strongly associated with attitudes toward same‐sex relationships for evangelicals, compared to mainline Protestants and, to a lesser extent, Catholics. Findings ultimately affirm that the type of same‐sex practice being considered (sex, marriage, or adoption) serves to moderate religions’ impact on Americans’ support for such practices.

Bible Beliefs, Conservative Religious Identity, and Same‐Sex Marriage Support: Examining Main and Moderating Effects

“…It should be taken literally, word-for-word on all subjects") as the indicator of theological conservatism and all other interpretive views of the Bible ("The Bible is perfectly true, but it should not be taken literally, word-for-word. We must interpret its meaning"; "The Bible contains some human error"; "The Bible is an ancient book of history and legends") as the reference (Perry 2013a;Perry and Whitehead forthcoming;Whitehead 2010Whitehead , 2014aWhitehead , 2014acf. Whitehead and Perry 2015).…”

“…Although religious measures are invariably used in studies of public opinion toward homosexual relationships, many studies exploring the link between religious life and support for same-sex marriage do not account for theological beliefs specifically, but rather infer theological belief from affiliation with a sectarian or conservative denomination or broad tradition like evangelicalism (Baunach 2012;Becker 2012;Brumbaugh et al 2008;Merino 2013;Olson et al 2006;Sherkat et al 2010). Studies that do include specific measures to tap theological belief almost invariably focus on whether or not respondents adhere to "biblical literalism" (belief that the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word), which is interpreted as a proxy for theological conservatism or fundamentalism (Becker and Scheufele 2009;Burdette, Ellison, and Hill 2005;Ellison, Acevedo, and Ramos-Wada 2011;Perry 2013a;Perry and Whitehead forthcoming;Powell et al 2010;Sherkat et al 2011;Todd and Ong 2012;Whitehead 2010). Although adherence to biblical literalism by the measure most often used is also a strong predictor of opposition to same-sex marriage, as I demonstrate below, this finding is problematic in that the conventional measure (1) is imprecisely conceptualized and worded in a way that conflates several distinct beliefs about the nature of the Bible and its authority on contemporary social and political issues, thereby muddling the interpretation of its effect, and (2) may in fact function as a proxy for conservative religious identity rather than a robust measure of theological belief (Ellison, Acevedo, and Ramos-Wada 2011;Franzen and Griebel 2013;Malley 2004).…”

Religion and progressive politics in the United States

“…As Pelz and Smidt () document, President Barack Obama inspired younger voters, including some White evangelicals, to support a more progressive political outlook (see also Rhodes, ). This was perhaps most visible in the declining opposition to same‐sex marriage among younger people (e.g., Perry & Whitehead, ; Walls, Woodford, & Levy, ). Further, many younger religious cohorts, especially among Catholics, are sympathetic to immigrant rights and are alienated by the Right's hardline on that issue.…”

“…As Pelz and Smidt (2015) document, President Barack Obama inspired younger voters, including some White evangelicals, to support a more progressive political outlook (see also Rhodes, 2011). This was perhaps most visible in the declining opposition to same-sex marriage among younger people (e.g., Perry & Whitehead, 2016;Walls, Woodford, & Levy, 2014).…”

Religion and Non‐traditional Families in the United States

“…A substantial amount of research since 2000 analyzes religion and public opinion toward same‐sex sexuality, legal unions, and parenting, and the influence of religion is partially determined by the type of same‐sex practice being considered (Perry and Whitehead ). However, the dominant approach within much of this research may be understood as Weberian (Hitlin and Vaisey ), in that most studies emphasize the importance of religious ideas (e.g.…”