“Your Rights End Where Mine Begin”: a Mixed-Methods Study of Moral Foundations Theory and Support for Bathroom Bills

Abstract

As nearly half US states have considered legislation that would restrict public restroom usage based on sex, in recent years this issue has come to the forefront of public discourse. To inform this policy, it is imperative to examine opinions regarding bathroom bills and how these opinions are shaped by individual differences. The current mixed-methods study examined the relationship between Moral Foundations Theory, bathroom bill opinions, and participant perceptions of their own support and opposition to this type of legislation. In 2017, undergraduate students at a large US public university completed the Moral Foundations Questionnaire and indicated their opinion of a hypothetical bathroom bill. Subsequently, researchers interviewed 22 participants from this group about their perceptions of this bill and the factors that shaped these opinions. Approximately two-thirds of participants supported instituting a hypothetical bathroom bill. Regardless of political affiliation, the moral pillars Purity/Sanctity and Authority/Respect were associated with support for the bill and Care/Harm predicted opposition to the bill. Qualitative analyses of participant interviews provided further understanding of why participants supported (e.g., safety, fear, sacrifice) or opposed (e.g., equality, bill is unnecessary/impractical to implement) the bill. Participants acknowledged that their opinions of the bill were likely shaped by personal relationships (e.g., with family members, friends) and their experiences (e.g., traveling, parochial education). The data suggest that Moral Foundations Theory may be one framework to understand differences in opinions regarding bathroom bill legislation.