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American Perspectives On The Legitimacy Of Transgender Identities, Sethe Zachman

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This mixed-method project examines how Americans’ and Nebraskans’ perceptions of the validity of transgender identities varies by the demographic characteristics of respondents, and how these perceptions are justified. Two representative surveys are used to examine demographic associations with opinion on the cisgender and transgender binary: the 2023 American Values Atlas (AVA) from the Public Religion Research Institute (N=4,788) and the 2022 Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS) (N=934) from the Bureau of Sociological Research. A measure from the AVA data examines the degree to which respondents believe there are only two genders versus a range of gender identities. The NASIS …

Attitudes Towards Public Basic Needs Programs: An Analysis Of Question Order Effect, Period And Cohort Changes, And Differences Across Religious Traditions, Jamy Rentschler

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines public opinions towards public basic needs programs (PBNPs), focusing specifically on differences in attitudes towards spending on assistance to the poor (ATP) and welfare. To do this, I use two different approaches, one focusing on survey methodology and the other looking at social change across time and religious tradition. The first research question addresses potential survey question order effects based upon which question came first, ATP or welfare, and examines how other federal spending priorities may impact opinions towards welfare. I do find question order effects, some of which vary based on the respondent’s race, but the …

Lg But Not T: Opposition To Transgender Rights Amidst Gay And Lesbian Acceptance, Kelsy Burke, Emily Kazyak, Marissa Oliver

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This article draws on sociological theories of affect and ambivalence to empirically examine individuals who express support for the rights of gays and lesbians but not transgender people. Using a representative survey of Nebraska residents and quantitative and qualitative analysis of close-ended and open-ended responses, we find that the group we call “inconsistents” are more similar demographically to consistent opponents, they outnumber consistent opponents, and that they rely on two types of logics to justify their views. For nearly all who oppose employment nondiscrimination and bathroom protections for transgender people, they use an identity logic to express skepticism, and often …

Lgbt Employment Nondiscrimination: Debating Sexuality And Citizenship, Kelsy Burke, Emily Kazyak, Alice Millermacphee

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Introduction — Nebraska is 1 of 26 states that did not protect LGBT people from employment discrimination prior to Bostock vs. Clayton County. This article examines debates in Nebraska about LGBT employment nondiscrimination as a window into how citizenship is defined in relation to sexuality and gender identity.

Methods — We performed qualitative analyses on (1) the 2018 Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey of 902 respondents who shared their opinions on employment nondiscrimination legislation for LGBT individuals in close- and open-ended questions and (2) transcripts of the 2017 Nebraska state legislature debate of a bill that would have added …

“Pee In Peace” Or “Make Everyone Uncomfortable”: Public Perceptions Of Transgender Rights, Emily Kazyak, Kelsy Burke, Rosalind Kichler, Lora Mcgraw

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

We analyze a survey of Nebraskans as a case study to examine public opinion of transgender rights. Using a mixed methods design, we find an even divide among mostly cisgender survey respondents on whether transgender people should be able to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. Our findings mirror national data and show that identifying as female, being more liberal politically, and being less religious are associated with supporting this belief. Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses reveals that both supporters and opponents of transgender rights employ logics that implicate (1) the nature of transgender identities, (2) the …

Backlash Or A Positive Response? Public Opinion Of Lgb Issues After Obergefell V. Hodges., Emily Kazyak, Mathew Stange

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Following Obergefell v. Hodges, same-sex marriage remains controversial and anti-LGBT state legislation has been passed, which raises questions about whether the Supreme Court’s ruling may have created a backlash. We use data from two waves of a general population survey of Nebraskans conducted before and after the decision to answer three questions. First, we test three theories of how the Court decision influenced public opinion. We find that support for same-sex marriage was significantly higher following the ruling, suggesting that there was not a backlash to it. Second, we assess whether people perceive that the court accurately reflects the public’s …

Logics Of Freedom: Debating Religious Freedom Laws And Gay And Lesbian Rights, Emily Kazyak, Kelsy Burke, Mathew Stange

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

In the wake of marriage equality for same-sex couples, many states have introduced and passed laws that provide religious exemptions for certain services and benefits for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) persons. The authors use data from a general population survey of Nebraskans as a mixed-methods case study to examine public opinion of religious freedom laws. Drawing on data from both closed-ended (n = 1,117) and openended (n = 838) questions, the authors show that opposition to religious freedom laws is quite high, as 64 percent of respondents report that they oppose laws that would allow business owners …

Period And Cohort Changes In Americans’ Support For Marijuana Legalization: Convergence And Divergence Across Social Groups, Philip Schwadel, Christopher G. Ellison

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

We cast fresh light on how and why Americans’ views on marijuana legalization shifted between 1973 and 2014. Results from age-period-cohort models show a strong negative effect of age and relatively high levels of support for legalization among baby boom cohorts. Despite the baby boom effect, the large increase in support for marijuana legalization is predominantly a broad, period-based change in the population. Additional analyses demonstrate that differences in support for legalization by education, region, and religion decline, that differences by political party increase, and that differences between whites and African Americans reverse direction. We conclude by discussing the implications …

Theories Of Public Opinion, Patricia Moy, Brandon Bosch

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

While the issue of citizen competency has vexed scholars throughout history, the modern concepts of a mass public and mass media are relatively new. Beginning with the seminal works of Lippmann and Dewey, we chart the evolving theories of public opinion, from the "hypodermic needle" model of the early twentieth century to the more psychologically oriented approach to media effects of today. We argue that in addition to understanding how audiences process media content, theories of public opinion must account for how media content is constructed and disseminated, which is complicated by the ever-changing nature of our media landscape.