The average length of these conversations was only 22 minutes, but the visits had dramatic effects.
In follow-up surveys three days later, the researchers found that attitudes were unchanged among the voters who discussed recycling and those who weren't visited by the interviewers. But among those who spoke with canvassers about gay marriage, support had jumped eight percentage points.
"The change was equivalent to transforming a Midwesterner into a New Englander on the issue of gay marriage," quipped Green, a highly regarded authority on research methods in the social sciences.
Within three weeks, however, conventional wisdom kicked in: Support for gay marriage among the voters who had been approached by straight canvassers retreated to where it had originally been; any effect of the conversation had been wiped out. Among voters who had been approached by gay canvassers, however, the attitude shift persisted. In fact, support for gay marriage among that group grew even further when the Supreme Court handed down its decision — jumping an additional seven percentage points. The researchers also found that among these voters' the support remained a year later.
Green, a 27-year veteran researcher and author of four books and more than 100 studies, couldn't believe what LaCour had found. So he advised him to rerun the experiment. The second round replicated the original results.
"Previously, I've been really pessimistic about the prospect of changing someone's views, and that kind of pessimism suffuses much of the research on attitude change," Green said. "But the results of our study convinced me that enduring change is possible. They’re eye-popping."
Housemates of voters who spoke to straight canvassers didn't change their attitudes on gay marriage. But the housemates of voters who had spoken with the gay canvassers registered a three percentage-point increase, and their support for gay marriage continued to rise throughout the following year, especially after the decision.
"This suggested to us that views were being reinforced by conversations going on in the household," Green said.
By the end of the year, support for gay marriage drifted slightly upward among the other voters in the study, reflecting the growing increased acceptance of gay marriage in the wake of the court’s decision and its simultaneous overturn of the Defense of Marriage Act. But the increase in support for gay marriage among those who had been contacted by gay canvassers was five times higher than that of the other participants.
"When those being denied marriage equality have names and faces, hearts and minds are changed," LaCour said. "And that's what we found."
Pages: 1 · 2
More Articles
- Elevating the Conversation: How a New Message Helped Win the Fight for Same-sex Marriage
- Same-Sex Marriage Bans Struck Down Nationwide: Clear Protections From Discrimination Still Needed
- Online Food Reviews Reveal Addiction Metaphors and Sensual Imagery
- Look Ahead to November: Marijuana, Gambling, Reverse Mortgages, Minimum Wage and GMOs on the Election Ballot
- You Know You're Getting Old When ...
- States' Attorneys Generals Split Ahead of Gay Marriage Arguments; Audio from SCOTUS
- Pew Reports: The Tea Party, Religion and Social Issues
- The Decline of Marriage and Rise of New Families
- Will These Parents Destroy Your Family?