Education and Religion in Shaping Support for Same-Sex Relations: Considering Differences Over Time and Across Geographical Areas

Abstract

Abstract Across the world, attitudes about same-sex relationships have become rapidly more supportive. While education is typically viewed as a liberalizing force, religious beliefs are often seen as restricting more tolerant perspectives and contributing to more conservative attitudes in general. Focusing on the United States, this study examines the roles of religion and education, as individual and group properties, for understanding disapproval of same-sex relationships. Drawing on restricted information that makes it possible to identify where General Social Survey respondents lived, we find that graduating from college is associated with more support, but has less of an effect on Evangelicals and more religiously engaged people. Moreover, we find that residents in areas with higher overall levels of education became liberal faster, irrespective of whether or not they had a college degree. Our findings speak to the power of education and religion, as micro and macro forces, for understanding public opinion about same-sex relations over time.