Ignorant discrimination: How education levels affect attitudes toward homosexuality and gay rights

Abstract

For this research, I examined the relationship between level of education and attitudes toward gay rights using data obtained from the General Social Survey (GSS) for the year of 1998. The GSS is conducted biannually by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. An index was created using variables measuring attitudes about homosexuality and gay rights. The sample size for this study was 704 respondents. Bivariate results suggest that there is a relationship between level of education and attitudes toward gay rights. Individuals with the highest level of education (graduate degree) were significantly (26%) more tolerant in their attitudes toward gay rights than those with the lowest level of education (less than high school) when analyzed by the statistical test chi-square (p