Day By Day

Monday, August 22, 2005

Are Attitudes on Homosexuality Really Shifting?

Eugene Volokh applies some rough and elementary cohort analysis to poll results on the question of whether homosexuality is acceptable and comes up with some interesting points.

Within specific cohorts there has not been much change over time regarding the acceptance of homosexuality. However, cohorts born after the "sexual revolution" of the sixties are far more accepting than those born before. This suggests that gay activism over the course of the past few decades has had almost no effect on public attitudes, but that the sexual revolution did mark a major divide. Verrry Interrrrresting!

Read the analysis here.

James Taranto over at the WSJ reviews Volokh's work and makes the, to me rather far-fetched, argument that in fact public attitudes are changing, but that liberal gains on homosexuality are countered by the "roe effect" [liberal women having abortions and as a result fewer liberal kids are entering the population].

Read Taranto's piece here.

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