Getting the Message Out: Media Context and Global Changes in Attitudes toward Homosexuality
48 Pages Posted: 21 Jul 2014
Date Written: 2014
Abstract
Global attitudes involving homosexuality are changing rapidly. Tolerance towards lesbian and gay relationships has increased on almost every continent. More often than not, younger people have been at the forefront of this change. In this article, we explore explanations for this cross-national phenomenon. Specifically, we test to see if contextual factors, those which allow lesbians and gays to freely express themselves or to gain cultural representation in the media, have driven this transformation. The results show that inter-cohort effects, or more liberal attitudes among younger people, are related not only to economic development, but also to the pervasiveness of a nation's mass media and to the presence of press freedom. This research suggests a strong link between increasing mass support for minority rights and the factors which encourage and allow minorities to express their viewpoints to others.
Keywords: Lesbian and Gay Rights, LGBT Politics, Social Movements, Social Change, Public Opinion, Media System Context
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