Heterosexuals' attitudes toward bisexual men and women in the United States

Journal of Sex Research, Nov, 2002 by Gregory M. Herek

Political and religious variables. Respondents were asked whether they usually think of themselves as a political liberal, conservative, moderate, or something else. They were also asked whether they usually think of themselves as a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or something else. Religiosity was assessed by asking how often respondents had attended religious services of any kind in the past 12 months and by asking about the importance of religion in their life: whether it is "very important," "somewhat important," "not too important," or "not at all important."

Gender and sexual attitudes. Attitudes toward traditional gender roles were assessed with two questions: (a) "Which qualities would you say are more important for a boy to have--strength and toughness, or sensitivity and caring for others?" and (b) "Which goal would you say should be more strongly encouraged in girls--to have a job and a good income, or to have a family and a good marriage?" For both items, order of the response alternatives was randomized across respondents. "Strength and toughness" and "a family and a good marriage" were coded as expressing traditional gender attitudes. (5)

Sexual attitudes were assessed with two items. Respondents were asked whether they believed that sex is acceptable (a) only for two people who are married, (b) for two people who are not married provided that they are in love, or (c) for two people who are not married even if they are not in love with each other. The response that sex is acceptable only for married people was coded as expressing traditional sexual morality. Respondents were also asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement "The main purpose of sex should be for having a baby." Agreement was coded as expressing traditional sexual morality.

Psychological authoritarianism. Attitudes toward homosexuality correlate strongly with authoritarianism (Altemeyer, 1996; Herek, 1984). Although a formal measure of authoritarianism was not included in the survey, three items tapped attitudes associated with this construct. Respondents were presented with pairs of traits and asked to indicate which trait was more important for a child to have. The pairs were: (a) "respect for elders" versus "independence," (b) "obedience" versus "self-reliance," and (c) "good manners" versus "curiosity." Order of presentation within each pair was randomized across respondents. An authoritarianism score was computed by assigning respondents 1 point each if they selected "respect for elders," "obedience," or "good manners." This procedure yielded scale scores ranging from 0 to 3 (M = 1.79, sd = 1.11, [alpha] = .65). Higher scores reflect beliefs more consistent with authoritarianism.

Contact with lesbians and gay men. The survey did not include a question about respondents' personal interactions with bisexual people. Using an item developed by Herek and Capitanio (1996), however, respondents were asked whether they have ever had any male or female friends, relatives, or close acquaintances who are gay or homosexual. It was assumed that respondents answering in the affirmative would be generally more likely to have had contact with bisexuals.