Society construct on the issue of marriages are strict and enshrined in religious, political and demographic foundations. According to Christianity, marriage is divine and is only between a man and a woman as God created Eve to be a helper to Adam (Gen 2:18, NIV). Sex is the most sacred and guarded practice, and strict laws are there to make sure it is done safely and with the right partner. For instance, in Christianity beliefs, it is a sin to have sexual relations with family members, the same-sex, animals, or outside marriage. However, gay marriages are becoming more acceptable in most countries such as Australia, Malta, Germany, Colombia, and the United States. In Australia, the campaigns of same-sex marriages have been long and rigorous. A law that restricts gay marriages was enacted in 2004, but after a heated yes-and-no campaign, it was amended in December 2017 to allow marriages regardless of sexual orientation (McAllister and Snagovsky, 2018). Australia becomes the 25th country to consider gay marriages as lawful and protected by the constitution. However, the behavioral change is not unanimous as some still think it is not right and most often discriminate those in such marriages or supporters. Therefore, this research paper will seek to understand people's opinion or attitude concerning same-sex marriages in different towns of Australia.
Aim and Objective of Research
The primary purpose of this research is to gather information on the attitude of Australian people concerning same-sex marriages. The research questions that will include:
1. Is there a behavioral change in Australia towards gay-marriages?
2. What is the proportion of the population have accepted gay marriages?
3. What is the proportion of the population that is still against gay marriages?
4. What are the primary reasons why people are supporting or opposing gay marriages?
5. Did the Act that was enacted in 2017 in support of gay marriages represented the majority opinion?
Hypothesis
The hypothesis in this research will be:
Ho: there will be no difference in Australian people's attitude towards same-sex marriages.
Ha: there will be a significant difference in Australian people's attitude towards same-sex marriages.
Literature Review
The topic of gay marriages has raised controversial sentiments in most parts of the world and researchers together with scholars have taken a significant effort to unravel people's opinion and attitude towards the issue. Haslam from the University of Melbourne conducted a literature search on pro-and-anti same-sex marriage during yes-and-no campaigns in September 2017. Some of his findings indicated that factors like political, religious affiliation, and demographic influenced people's opinion (Haslam, 2017). For instance, most conservatives were against marriage equality. Also, religious people depended on sacred text or traditional interpretation, and most of them were against same-sex marriages (Brennan, 2017). However, the younger generation or the millennial, educated people and those living in urban areas are relatively acceptable to the issue of gay-marriage (Webb, Chonody, and Kavanagh, 2017). According to German-Murray (2013), the attitude on gay-marriages are entrenched profoundly and are dependent on one's birth cohort, and it is difficult to change. Besides, debates on the issue take antagonist course such that one party aims to defeat their opponent rather than persuade (Brennan, 2017). Turnbull adds that attitude towards gay marriages will gradually shift to acceptance as older generations are replaced (2012). Sherkat points out that younger people are in most cases in favor of equality in marriages than it is witnessed from the aged but the drastic change in public opinion cannot be factored by generation replacement (2017).
Statistics across the world shows a significant behavioral change towards same-sex marriages. In the US, surveys indicate that the population in favor of gay marriages is raising and it has grown from 37% to 55% from 2006 to 2014 (Masci, Sciupac and Lipka, 2017). Also, the number has risen in the UK from 47% to 60% between 2007 and 2014 (Haslam, 2017). As a result, attitudinal change towards the issue is majorly due to people shifting views rather than generation replacements. A study conducted in Armenia and Troia showed an increase from 40% to 49% after the same people were surveyed in 2008 and 2012 respectively (Masci, Sciupac and Lipka, 2017). Similarly, Pew Research Centre reported that 28% of Americans had changed their mind on the topic of equality marriages during the 2013 survey (Johnson, Madison, and Patridge, 2011). Power (2011) supports that a shift is realized after contact with someone affected by the issue personally.
Gay marriages are perceived in facets of religious beliefs, demographic attributes, and political. A research was conducted by McHugh (2009) to find out premises that people appeal when justifying their stands on the issue of same-sex marriages. Webb, Chonody, and Kavanagh (2017) established that people were influenced by what is perceived to be natural such that the No-group considered same-sex parenthood as unnatural while the Yes-group advocated for a more inclusive definition. A study conducted in 2011 on people's attitude on gay parenting found out anti-gay majorly argued from beliefs rather than sexuality (Davies and McInnes, 2012; Patterson and Tornello, 2010). Contrary, supporters accused their antagonists of being homophobia motivated and therefore insincere and biased by their beliefs. A Dutch social psychologist conducted several studies in Canada and America with the aim of assessing the degree of religiosity and conservatism towards same-sex marriages (Haslam, 2017). The outcome of the research was consistent and established a close correlation of attitude anti-gay-marriage and factors of religiosity and conservatism. Consequently, it was concluded that most religious people are against same-sex marriages due to a negative attitude towards homosexuality.
Significant / Contribution
The literature review shows how the premise of attitude towards supporting or against same-sex marriages. However, there are still gaps in the literature such that most of the work covered do not explain the need to maintain social order or the antagonists' resistance to change. Also, most of the literature supporting the issue focus on the aspects of lack of equality or prejudice, but fail to consider the cause of their objection. It is also evident that little study has been done on Australia, yet they are on the top list for those in support of gay marriages in the world. Therefore, this research will add literature and statistical prove on Australians attitude, social norms and behavioral change towards same-sex marriages.
Research Methodology
Participants
Targeted participants of this study will come from the different States of Australia, specifically Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. Local university students will represent the young generation. The reason for choosing university students is because it is easier to collect information in a concentrated area and also due to diversity it offers, i.e., many tribes, different religious groups, high social contact and people from all status. The older generation participants will be lecturers, non-staff members, and parents visiting university premises.
Research Design
The research will use mixed methods that are it will employ both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Quantitative will typically concentrate on investigating if there is any significant difference in people's attitude on gay marriages. The type of quantitative method that will be used is descriptive which only establishes an association between variables. In this case factors such as political, religious and demographic will be associated with the attitude on gay marriages. The technique will be used because it is reliable and will statistically express people's opinion towards gay marriages. However, some issue such as trends, perceptions, or behavior on a particular case can only be researched expertly with a qualitative method. Specifically, a qualitative method that will be employed in this study is ethnographic research, case studies, and text analysis.
Data Collection
The team will collect data from various sources and utilize different tools. Primary data will come from responses in interviews, questionnaires, focus groups and surveys. Secondary data, on the other hand, will be from textual analysis, such as newspapers, articles, journals, and other electronic sources. Qualitative methods of data collection will use open-ended questionnaires while quantitative will mostly use closed-ended questionnaires. The questionnaires will be distributed in most shopping centers in the universities in hardcopy and also through emails to increase coverage. During interviews, the interviewer will be recording notes in a field book noting specific keywords or phrases that respondents are using. Video and audio recorders will also be used during interviews and in the focus groups.
Sampling Method
Due to a large population from the selected States in Australia, it is impossible to collect data from all people, and thus the research will use samples from different groups. Random sampling will be applied to the young generation, covering the student population. From each university, the study will aim to get 300 students. In the case for the older generation, including lecturers and non-staff workers, purposive sampling will be used due to the availability of the participants. However, random sampling will cover parents and visitors coming to the facilities. The target for the older generation will be at least 100 participants from each university.
Data Analysis
After all necessary data is collected, it will be sorted, and the relevant analyzed using various methods. Numeric data, mostly from closed-ended questionnaires and secondary sources such as statistical records from the internet will be analyzed using SPSS and Excel applications. Chi-square will be the preferred method to test the validity of the hypothesis at 95% confidence level. For qualitative data, on the other hand, will be through a deductive method analysis using the research questions. In this approach, the procedure will start with data organization, coding using a pattern or in-vivo coding, validation of data and finally deducing a conclusion.
Ethical Consideration
The research topic is sensitive and can result in differing sentiments; therefore, specific ethical consideration must be made clear before the research is conducted.
1. All participants' information will be kept confidential and in case need arise it will not be disclosed without consent from the concerned individual(s). The EU Data Regulation Policy will be adhered to in this study.
2. All participants must consent to terms and conditions of study before they are allowed to take part.
3. The team conducting the research will also take an oath of secrecy before the start of the study.
Scope and Problem
The scope of Research
The scope of this study will be limited to attitude towards same-sex marriages. It will explore the various premise that individuals use to justify their opinion such as religiosity. Also, it will cover the behavioral change of Australian people on the topic at hand. Only selected States will be used in this study and will depend on participants from local universities and colleges. All participant will be required to be at least 16 years of age. Other difference such as social class, gender, religious and political affiliations will not be considered during the research.
Problems
It is expected that the research will encounter some challenges in its execution. Some of them include:
1. Financial constraints due to the cost of printing the large volume of questionnaires and traveling to various universities. Also, some cashiers will have to be hired to augment data collection and sorting.
2. Technical challenges. Several limitations in textual analysis, sorting, and recordings.
3. Stubborn or unwilling participant to give information.
4. Due to the controversial nature of the topic, arguments or violence may result in the area of study.
5. It is limited to a few States and may not be a true representative of Australian view.
References
Brennan, F. (2017). Same-sex marriage and freedom of religion. Eureka Street, 27(22), 30.
Davies, C., " McInnes, D. (2012). Speaking violence: homophobia and the production of injurious speech in schooling cultures. In Rethinking School Violence (pp. 131-148). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Gorman-Murray, A. (2013). Straight–gay friendships: Relational masculinities and equalities landscapes in Sydney, Australia. Geoforum, 49, 214-223.
Haslam, N. (2017). The psychology of attitudes to same-sex marriage. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-25/same-sex-marriage-what-psychology-research-says-about-attitudes/8981252
Johnson, C., Madisson, S., " Patridge, E. (2011). Australia: Parties, federalism and rights agendas. The lesbian and gay movement and the state: comparative insights into a transformed relationship.
Masci, D., Sciupac, E., " Lipka, M. (2017). Countries that Allow Gay Marriage around the World. Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/2017/08/08/gay-marriage-around-the-world-2013/
McAllister, I., " Snagovsky, F. (2018). Explaining voting in the 2017 Australian same-sex marriage plebiscite. Australian Journal of Political Science, 1-19.
McHugh, S. (2009). Not in front of the altar: mixed marriages and sectarian tensions between Catholics and Protestants in pre-multicultural Australia. History Australia, 6(2), 42-1.
Patterson, C. J., " Tornello, S. L. (2010). Gay fathers’ pathways to parenthood: International perspectives. Journal of Family Research, 22, 103-116.
Power, J. (2011). Movement, knowledge, emotion: Gay activism and HIV/AIDS in Australia. ANU E Press.
Sherkat, D.E., 2017. Intersecting Identities and Support for Same-sex Marriage in the United States. Social Currents, 4(4), pp.380-400.
Turnbull, M. (2012). Reflections on gay marriage. S. Cross UL Rev., 15, 39.
Webb, S. N., Chonody, J., " Kavanagh, P. S. (2017). “If You Don't Like Gay Marriage, Don't Get One!” A Qualitative Analysis of Attitudes toward Same-Sex Marriage in South Australia. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 13(5), 439-458.
