Conservative protestantism and attitudes toward homosexuality: Does political orientation mediate this relationship?*

Although several studies show that conservative Protestants are generally opposed to homosexuality, explanations for this association are not well established. Using data from the 1998 General Social Survey, we test whether political orientation mediates the relationship between conservative Protestantism and attitudes toward homosexuality. Results indicate that conservative Protestants are more politically conservative than non-affiliates. We also find that conservative Protestants are less accepting of homosexuality than non-affiliates, although a significant portion of this association is explained by political orientation. Once political orientation is controlled, the attitudes of conservative Protestants are no different from non-affiliates, and politically conservative respondents are less accepting of homosexuality than their more liberal counterparts. In the end, we conclude that political orientation is a mechanism that partially explains the association between conservative Protestantism and attitudes toward homosexuality.