Effects of Same-Sex Legislation on Attitudes toward Homosexuality

Despite the long historical battle of members of the gay and lesbian community to gain equal rights as their heterosexual counterparts, the adoption of public policies at the national level that recognize same-sex partnerships and marriages is a relatively recent political development across the globe. Consequently, we know little about whether, and how, this type of legislation affects public attitudes toward homosexuality. This study examines the relationship between same-sex couple legislation and public opinion using data from the World Values Survey from the years 1989 to 2014. While previous studies examining this relationship in the European context have found a positive relationship, the results presented in this paper paint a less optimistic picture of the impacts that same-sex couple legislation has on attitudes toward homosexuality. Specifically, I find that instead of same-sex partnership legislation increasing favorable attitudes across the entire population, it only affects individuals who are already generally supportive of homosexuality. Implications for gay and lesbian rights are discussed.