Change, Continuity and Partisan Sorting on Moral Issues

Is public opinion on moral issues basically stable or does it change over time? Evidence from the late 20th century indicated contrary patterns for public opinion on abortion, where attitudes were mostly stable, versus views toward gay rights, where public opinion was moving quickly in the liberal direction. This article examines whether public opinion trends on abortion and gay rights from the 20th century remain the same at the beginning of the 21st century. Second, we explore whether change or continuity better describes public attitudes on a host of moral issues. Finally, we investigate the contribution of partisan sorting to contemporary attitudes on moral issues.