Colleen LePera

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