Towson University professor looks at divide of same sex marriage debate

TOWSON, Md - A new article has been published by a Towson University professor on same sex marriage which looked at how the issue divides younger and older voters.

Amy Becker, assistant professor, Dept. of Mass Comm. & Comm. Studies at Towson University,  published the article that will appear in Social Science Quarterly exploring what factors influence public support for same-sex marriage.

Professor Becker joined Good Morning Maryland on February 17th to talk about her new article. She says there is more of a social acceptance of same sex marriage due to rise of gay characters in shows like, Glee.

The article, "New Voters, New Outlook? Predispositions, Social Networks, and the Changing Politics of Gay Civil Rights," examines public acceptance of homosexuality and support for same-sex marriage across age cohorts.

Becker believes the same sex marriage bill in Maryland will pass both the state Senate and House and that Governor Martin O'Malley will sign the bill. She believes there will be a referendum that voters would decide on that could be put on the November 2012 ballot.

Here are some of the key findings or take-aways from the study:

· Younger Americans' higher rates of personal contact with gay men and lesbians within their social networks (i.e., family, friends, co-workers) has the largest impact on attitudes. This is particularly true for those between the ages of 15-25, or those new "O" for Obama generation voters who took to the polls in record numbers in 2008.

· Younger Americans' (35 and under) have higher levels of deliberative engagement with the same-sex marriage debate than older voters.

· Older voters still rely most heavily on ideological and religious value predispositions when forming an opinion on the same-sex marriage debate.

This new piece of research expands upon a 2009 piece published in the International Journal of Press/Politics entitled, "Moral politicking: Public attitudes toward gay marriage in an election context.