title: Do state laws concerning homosexuals reflect the preeminence of conservative-liberal individual differences?
abstract: The present study was conducted to determine whether individual-level correlates of sexual prejudice (i.e., conservatism-liberalism, religious fundamentalism, educational levels, urbanism, income, and living in the South) are predictive at the state level of laws restricting homosexual behaviors and desires. Criterion 1 was a multifaceted index of state laws concerning gay men and lesbians; Criterion 2 was an index of state laws regarding same-sex partnerships. Multiple regression strategies showed that state conservatism-liberalism, as determined from the responses of 141,798 individuals aggregated at the state level (Erikson, Wright, & McIver, 1993), was the prime state-level predictor of both criteria. For Criterion 1, only Southern state status accounted for additional variance (4.2%) above the 54.8% already accounted for by conservatism-liberalism. For Criterion 2, no other variables accounted for variance beyond the 44.6% accounted for by state conservatism-liberalism.
authors.affiliation: Cape Breton University, Department of Psychology, P. O. Box 5300, Sydney, Nova Scotia BIP 6L2, Canada. stewart_mccann@capebretonu.ca
authors.forename: Stewart J H
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: McCann
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D011057:Politics; D011287:Prejudice; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D012935:Social Justice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012945:Social Values; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D014507:Urbanization