Reducing Sexual-Orientation Discrimination: Experimental Evidence from Basic Information Treatments

53 Pages Posted: 27 Jan 2022

See all articles by Cevat Giray Aksoy

Cevat Giray Aksoy

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; King’s College London; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Christopher S. Carpenter

Vanderbilt University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Ralph De Haas

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); KU Leuven

Mathias Dolls

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute) - Ifo Institute; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Lisa Windsteiger

Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: January 25, 2022

Abstract

We study basic information treatments regarding sexual orientation using randomized experiments in three countries with strong and widespread anti-gay attitudes: Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Participants who received information about the economic costs to society of sexual-orientation discrimination were significantly more likely than those in a control group to support equal employment opportunities based on sexual orientation. Information that the World Health Organization (WHO) does not regard homosexuality as a mental illness increased social acceptance of sexual minorities, but only for those who reported trust in the WHO. Our results have important implications for policy makers aiming to expand the rights of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people worldwide.

Keywords: sexual minorities, information treatments, discrimination, attitudes

JEL Classification: D91, J16, J71, O15

Suggested Citation

Aksoy, Cevat Giray and Carpenter, Christopher S. and De Haas, Ralph and Dolls, Mathias and Windsteiger, Lisa, Reducing Sexual-Orientation Discrimination: Experimental Evidence from Basic Information Treatments (January 25, 2022). EBRD Working Paper No. 263, 2022, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4017613 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4017613

Cevat Giray Aksoy (Contact Author)

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ( email )

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London EC2A 2JN
United Kingdom

King’s College London ( email )

Aldwych
London, WC2A 2AE
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IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
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Germany

Christopher S. Carpenter

Vanderbilt University ( email )

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Nashville, TN 37235
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.google.com/site/kittcarpenter/

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Ralph De Haas

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ( email )

One Exchange Square
London, EC2A 2JN
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: www.ebrd.com

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

KU Leuven

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Leuven, B-3000
Belgium

Mathias Dolls

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute) - Ifo Institute ( email )

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, 01069
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/CESifo-Group/ifo/ifo-Mitarbeiter/cvifo-dolls_m.html

IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Lisa Windsteiger

Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, 80539
Germany

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