Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences International Section Outstanding Book Award
Cross-National Public Opinion About Homosexuality
Public opinion about homosexuality varies substantially around the world. While residents in some nations have embraced gay rights as human rights, people in many other countries find homosexuality unacceptable. What creates such big differences in attitudes? This book shows that cross-national differences in opinion can be explained by the strength of democratic institutions, the level of economic development, and the religious context of the places where people live. Amy Adamczyk uses survey data from almost ninety societies, case studies of various countries, content analysis of newspaper articles, and in-depth interviews to examine how individual and country-level characteristics influence acceptance of homosexuality.
“A perfect issue-based case study of how prejudicial attitudes toward minorities groups can be decreased at a country level. Highly recommended as a thought-provoking introduction for both undergraduate and graduate students of social movements, social change, prejudice, comparative public opinion, or any of the many other fields of study the book spans.”
“[A] significant contribution to our overall understanding of public opinion about homosexuality.”
“A must-read for both academics and non-academics, including policymakers, governmental officials, and non-profit practitioners who are committed to policy formation, law enforcement, and advocacy for LGBTQ persons worldwide.”
“What accounts for the range of differences in acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons throughout the world? Amy Adamczyk has woven an impressive tapestry of nuanced answers to this urgent and complex question.”
“An excellent comparative analysis of the degree of anti-gay attitudes in many nations... Summing Up: Highly recommended.”
“In this groundbreaking book Adamczyk has undertaken the daunting task of unraveling the complex dynamics shaping public opinion about same-sex relationships. She provides a rich theoretical understanding of the macro forces influencing attitudes and impressively integrates multiple types of methods and data to assess these ideas. A major contribution to cross-national public opinion research that I highly recommend.”
“Adamczyk has written the most comprehensive contemporary study on disapproval of homosexuality. She takes into account multidisciplinary theoretical insights on individual as well as contextual determinants to provide a worldwide readership with enlightening overviews on controversial issues.”
“Conversation around the topic of diversity has never been more timely on college campuses, and Professor Adamczyk takes up the important subject of sexual diversity, offering a wide-ranging portrait of attitudes about same-sex relationships on a global scale. For graduate and undergraduate students interested in gay rights and sexual identity, Adamczyk’s new book offers an essential window into how religion, politics, and economic development affect public opinion on these topics, and will surely spark passionate campus conversation about her findings.”
“Few studies have explored change in attitudes toward homosexuality on a global scale. Adamczyk’s mixed-methods approach and breadth of case studies, as well as her original and stimulating treatment of her materials, make for an ambitious and timely work that offers an important contribution to the scholarly community.”
“Drawing from a wealth of quantitative and qualitative cross-national data, Adamczyk provides an illuminating analysis of cross-national patterns in attitudes toward homosexuality. This highly informative book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the societal roots of sexual prejudice and tolerance in the 21st century. I strongly recommend it.”
“True cross-national studies of public opinion are rare, and even rarer still are those that take religious differences seriously. Adamczyk explores the diversity and sources of opinions among Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, and Confucian/Buddhist majority countries. I recommend this book highly to those interested in the intersection of religion and the politics of sexuality, and of those interested in comparative public opinion more broadly.”
Publicity and Press
Blog: Trump and Homosexuality
Interview: John Jay Research
The Conversation
HuffPost
The Academic Minute
