Attitudes toward gays and lesbians are undergoing significant changes
around the world. Previous research has determined that Canadians often
exhibit more tolerant attitudes toward homosexuality than Americans, yet
few studies have attempted to uncover why this pattern persists. This book
seeks to determine what factors account for differences in attitudes toward
homosexuality among Canadians and Americans. The author re-examines the
established assertion that divergent levels of religious commitment, rather
than other socio-demographic, cultural and socio-structural factors, largely
account for attitudinal differences between the two neighbouring nations.
This study includes a review of previous social scientific research on this topic,
followed by a comprehensive data analysis of attitudes toward homosexuality
between Canadians and Americans from 1981 to 2000 using World Values
Surveys data. Scholars and students interested in cross-national comparisons
of social values will find this book particularly useful as it offers insight into
the challenges to be expected in future research endeavours.