Colleen LePera
Social Work Research Methods
March 14, 2013
Assignment 3: Literature Review
Introduction
The following literature explores the relationship between homosexuals right to marry, age, and
religion. Peer reviewed journal articles were reviewed to see how age affects people’s views on
homosexuals’ rights to marry.
Homosexuals’ Rights to Marry
In 2011, Woodford, Chonody, Scherrer, Silverschanz, & Kulick used a campus wide survey
for people who were undergraduate, graduate, full time and part time college students (Woodford,
Chonody, Scherrer, Silverschanz, & Kulick, 2011). The researchers sent out the survey through the
school email system that every student had access to (Woodford, Chonody, Scherrer, Silverschanz, &
Kulick, 2011). This was a campus survey to see how welcomed people felt on campus and the survey
touched on gay and lesbian issues like gay marriage. The sample consisted of 2,268 people. Woodford,
Chonody, Scherrer, Silverschanz, & Kulick were trying to find the age of people who endorse
homosexual marriage (Woodford, Chonody, Scherrer, Silverschanz, & Kulick, 2011). 67.9%
indicated slight or strong agreement for homosexuals’ right to marry (Woodford, Chonody, Scherrer,
Silverschanz, & Kulick, 2011). The data was found to be statistically significant with p < .001, A
higher rate of support was noticed in college students now when compared to studies done in earlier years
(Woodford, Chonody, Scherrer, Silverschanz, & Kulick, 2011).
Banauch (2011) conducted a survey using the General Social Survey (GSS) with 4,510 people in
the survey and 1,982 people answered the question about homosexuals’ right to marry (Baunach, 2011).
. The researcher looked at data from 1988, 2004, and 2006, specifically at the question stating,
“Homosexual couples should have the right to marry one another” (Baunach, 2011). The survey was
conducted via phone calls to random people around the country to people ages 18 and older.
Homosexuals’ Rights to Marry and Age
Woodford, Chonody, Scherrer, Silverschan, & Kulick in 2011 found that college age
students were more likely to agree slightly to strongly agree that homosexuals’ should have the right to
marry ( 67.9%) compared to disagree slightly to strongly (22.1%) (Woodford, Chonody, Scherrer,
Silverschanz, & Kulick, 2011). Ten percent of people who answer the question were neutral.
Baunach found that 52.4% of respondents agree that homosexuals’ should have the right to marry.
The researcher found that younger people were more likely to agree with the statement, “Homosexual
couples should have the right to marry one another” as compared to people who were older (Baunach,
2011).
Homosexuals’ Rights to Marry and Religion
There was an absence of peer reviewed literature about the relationship between homosexuals’
right to marry and religion.
Homosexuals’ Rights to Marry, Age, and Religion
There was an absence of peer reviewed literature about the relationship between homosexuals’
right to marry, age, and religion.
Conclusion
These studies found that young people are more likely to be supportive of homosexuals having
the right to marry than people who are older. The data shows that as people age and many older people
who did not support homosexuals’ right to marry are dying off and there are more young people in the
U.S, that this is why the data shows more and more people are agreeing that homosexuals’ should have
the right to marry.
Works Cited
Baunach, D. (2011). Decomposing trends in attitudes toward gay marriage. Social science
quarterly, 92(2), 346-363.
Woodford, M., Chonody, J., Scherrer, K., Silverschanz, P., & Kulick, A. (2011, November 20).
The "persuadable middle" on same sex marriage: formative research to build support
among heterosexual college students. Retrieved from
http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/89607/Woodford et al 2011
Persuadable Middle.pdf?sequence=1