Does Policy Adoption Change Opinions on Minority Rights? The Effects of Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage

The Iowa Supreme Court adopted an unpopular but unanimous ruling in Varnum v. Brien, which established same-sex marriage. Using a unique panel study conducted immediately before and after the court decision, we evaluate the impact of policy adoption on changing opinions on minority rights. The signa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Political research quarterly 2014-12, Vol.67 (4), p.795-808
Main Authors: Kreitzer, Rebecca J., Hamilton, Allison J., Tolbert, Caroline J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Civil unions
Courts
Demographics
Equality
Female homosexuality
Gay marriage
Gay rights
Gays & lesbians
Gays and lesbians
Homosexuality
Iowa
Judicial Decisions
Judicial rulings
Law
Marriage
Minorities
Morality
Political attitudes
Political partisanship
Political research
Polls & surveys
Public opinion
Respondents
Rights
Same Sex Marriage
Social norms
Sociodemographic Factors
Supreme Court
Supreme Courts
U.S.A
United States Supreme Court
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Summary:The Iowa Supreme Court adopted an unpopular but unanimous ruling in Varnum v. Brien, which established same-sex marriage. Using a unique panel study conducted immediately before and after the court decision, we evaluate the impact of policy adoption on changing opinions on minority rights. The signaling of new social norms pressured some respondents to modify their expressed attitudes. We find that respondents whose demographic characteristics would predict support for marriage equality, but previously did not, were more likely to shift their opinions to be consistent with the new state law. A policy feedback mechanism may be responsible for the rapid diffusion of laws legalizing same-sex in the states.
ISSN:1065-9129
1938-274X
DOI:10.1177/1065912914540483