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More Than a Game: Football Fans and Marriage Equality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 October 2016

Brian F. Harrison  and
Melissa R. Michelson
Brian F. Harrison
Affiliation:
Northwestern University
Melissa R. Michelson
Affiliation:
Menlo College
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Abstract

Public opinion tends to be stable. Once formed, attitudes are persistent and endure over time at both the individual and the aggregate levels. Attitudes toward marriage equality, however, have changed rapidly in recent years. This article posits that this is partly due to people learning that other members of their in-groups are supporters; they then alter their own opinions to be consistent with those of other in-group members. The authors tested this theory using a set of randomized survey experiments that shared identities as fans of professional football. When fans learn—sometimes unexpectedly—that other fans or athletes are supporters of marriage equality, they are motivated to agree in order to further normalize their membership in those sports-fan groups.

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Articles
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PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 49 , Special Issue 4: Elections in Focus , October 2016 , pp. 782 - 787
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2016 

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