Abstract
The correlates of sexual prejudice –negative attitudes toward gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals– are well-known in the literature, but the relevance of the social-political environment in which these correlates insert has received less attention. This study examines trends and correlates of sexual prejudice in El Salvador, a country frequently ranked as one of the most homophobic in the Americas. Using a representative sample from national-level surveys conducted between 2008 and 2016, it was found that the Salvadorian population displayed high levels of sexual prejudice in this period, although these levels varied significantly over time. Analysis with 2016 data showed that socially precarious conditions, religion, and traditionally gendered worldviews, were positively associated with sexual prejudice. Sexual prejudice also correlated with political and social beliefs that encompass authoritarian and misogynistic tendencies. Three clusters of predictors of sexual prejudice were identified: Religious conventionalism, unsophisticated masculinity background, and deficient democratic socialization. This study supports previous findings about correlates of sexual prejudice while highlighting the lesser-studied role of the social-political environment, and oscillations in a democratic culture, in perpetuating sexual prejudice.
Highlights
The correlates of sexual prejudice –negative attitudes toward gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals– are wellknown in the literature, but the relevance of the social-political environment in which these correlates insert has received less attention
The correlates of prejudice based on sexual orientation, or sexual prejudice, are well-established in the literature and based on the existing studies, it has been found that the profile of a prejudiced person is that of an individual from lower socio-economic strata, with few years of education, and highly conservative and religious (Costa et al, 2015; Cramwinckel et al, 2018; Pew Research Center, 2013)
To address this gap in research, this study examined social-political trends and correlates of sexual prejudice in El Salvador, one of the most homophobic countries in the Americas (Pew Research Center, 2013; Pew Research Center, 2014)
Summary
The correlates of sexual prejudice –negative attitudes toward gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals– are wellknown in the literature, but the relevance of the social-political environment in which these correlates insert has received less attention. Less discussed is the context of political culture and social beliefs in which these and other individual characteristics are inserted, and whether changes in this wider context can be related to variability in sexual prejudice levels over time To address this gap in research, this study examined social-political trends and correlates of sexual prejudice in El Salvador, one of the most homophobic countries in the Americas (Pew Research Center, 2013; Pew Research Center, 2014). Using secondary data from a nation-wide survey spanning nine years (Vanderbilt University, n.d.), sexual prejudice levels were estimated based on the respondents’ approval of non-heterosexual people to run for public office, and to have the right to marry These responses were linked to measures of political culture and social beliefs, to further understand the dynamics between people’s prejudicial attitudes and the socio-political environment in which they are manifested. The language in this paper regarding non-heterosexual people is meant to include bisexuality (e.g., same-sex couples)
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