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Thursday 16th July, 16:00 - 17:30 Room: N-131

Analyzing sexual prejudice and sexual orientation with survey data 2
Convenor	Mrs Anabel Kuntz (University of Cologne )
Coordinator 1	Dr Stephanie Steinmetz (University of Amsterdam)

Session Details

In past decades, the acceptance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people has increased in Europe. Nevertheless, sexual prejudice considerably varies within and between European countries. Although Europe is a place where many national laws prohibit at least the incitement to discrimination based on sexual orientation, countries also differ in granting rights to LGBT people and in protecting them from discrimination. Moreover, LGBT rights are hotly debated in the European public and politics. Compared to research on other minority groups, such as ethnic minorities, sexual prejudice has been studied quantitatively much less in the social sciences. Therefore, this session aims to increase the understanding of situation of LGBT people within Europe on the basis of quantitative studies and to evaluate also the methodological challenges researchers face when using existing data sources. Contributions are welcome focusing on sexual prejudice and rights of LGBT people as well as issues relating to sexual orientation both from a substantive and methodological perspective.

Paper Details

1. The Evaluation of Attitudes toward Same-Sex Parenting
Ms Katrin Scholz (SOCLIFE University of Cologne)

Attitudes toward same-sex parenting and prejudiced expectations about outcomes for children being raised by same-sex parents have not been studied to a great extent. Therefore, we devel-oped a new instrument named Attitudes towards Same-Sex Parenting Scale (ATSSPS). The scale was developed to assess German heterosexuals’ (n=488) attitudes towards homosexuals as parents and beliefs about the well-being of their children. Psychometric properties of the ATSSPS were examined and OLS and path-analysis regressions were conducted. Besides demographic factors, it is shown that gender-role beliefs, modern homonegative attitudes toward homosexuals, and contact with homosexuals highly

2. Testing refined survey measures of sexual prejudice: The effects of conservatism and hostile sexism on two dimensions of gay and lesbian parenthood
Dr Tilo Beckers (Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf)
Ms Anne-katrin Henseler (Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf)
Ms Mira Hassan (Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf)

In LGBT acceptance there is a shift in public debates from registered partnerships / gay marriage towards the question who should be allowed to adopt and raise children and to have access to assisted reproductive technologies (ART). We assume that conservative values and sexism predict derogation of homosexual parents and negative attitudes towards ART for lesbian couples. In the German CAWI study on “Life and Values” (2013) these predictions are confirmed by applying a refined measurement instrument comparing LGBT with single mothers or heterosexual couples. Our regression analyses confirm sexual prejudice towards LGBT people in both family matters.

3. Identifying same-sex couples in cross-national representative survey data: evidence from the ESS and the GGS
Ms Mirjam Fischer (University of Amsterdam)
Mr Matthijs Kalmijn (University of Amsterdam)
Mrs Stephanie Steinmetz (University of Amsterdam)

The present study carefully examines and evaluates nationally representative information about same-sex couples from six waves of the European Social Survey (2002 - 2012) and the first wave of the Generations and Gender Survey (2002 - 2011). The aims are to evaluate the quality of the data (by means of comparison and cross-validation with other sources) and to report some long overdue demographic statistics on same-sex couples in European countries, which can inform policies directed at gay citizens.

4. Counting gay and lesbian couples: Can a new question and edit check reduce measurement error?
Ms Nancy Bates (U.S. Census Bureau)
Ms Jamie Lewis (U.S. Census Bureau)
Ms Daphne Lofquist (U.S. Census Bureau)

This paper examines recent changes to reduce measurement error when counting cohabiting gay and lesbian couples. Recent estimates in the U.S. indicate traditional methods of counting this subpopulation may result in mis-classification errors as high as 75 percent. Our efforts to reduce measurement error hinge on a questionnaire wording change and introduction of an automated edit check. We report findings from two tests including split-panel experiments and addition of an edit designed to detect and correct inconsistent reports. We report relationship item nonresponse rates, potential misclassification rates, and the reduction of error resulting from an automated edit.

5. Measurement of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in a District of Columbia Health Survey
Ms Angelina Kewalramani (American Institutes for Research)

Question order and context are especially important when considering questions related to gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. This paper explores whether varying the order of a two-question gender identity series impacts the identification of transgender respondents. We examine the results from an experiment that employed a split-ballot design to test whether the order of the questions changed the proportion of respondents identifying as transgender. We conduct additional analyses to determine whether the order of the gender identity items influenced reporting on subsequent sexual orientation items.