Date of Award

January 2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Krista Lynn Minnotte

Abstract

Previous scholarship suggests that religion tends to play a role in people's attitudes towards same-sex marriage. The purpose of this study is to examine whether four aspect of religion (church attendance, church affiliation, religiosity, and conflict between religious beliefs and homosexuality) play a role in shaping attitudes towards same-sex marriage. Data from the Pew Research Centers 2013 Political Survey were utilized (N = 1504), and OLS regressions were used to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that conflict between religious beliefs and homosexuality was the strongest predictor of unfavorable attitudes towards same-sex marriage. It was also found that compared to non-religious, Catholics and Jews tend to have more favorable attitudes towards same sex marriage, whereas other Christians were found to have less favorable attitudes. The results of this thesis suggest that religion does play a significant role in attitudes towards same-sex marriage, especially conflict been religious beliefs and homosexuality.

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