Support for family diversity: a three-country study

Abstract

Objective: To understand levels of support for differences between families in terms of sexuality and mode of family formation across three countries.

Background: Previous research has found that attitudes towards family diversity continue to improve over time, although differences remain.

Methods: Subjects were 1605 people living in Australia, the United Kingdom or the United States who completed a questionnaire which sought to explore levels of support for a diverse range of family forms and modes of family formation.

Results: Religiosity, political leanings and beliefs about the importance of genetic relatedness were all correlated with level of support. Gender of participant was a predictor of level of support. Cluster analysis indicated three clusters (unsupportive, neutral and supportive) for level of support, for which both sexuality and parent status were predictors.

Conclusion: Findings highlight the normative status of reproductive heterosex, and demonstrate the considerable value accorded to genetic relatedness.

Keywords:

• Family
• diversity
• attitudes
• support
• genetic relatedness

Acknowledgements

We begin by acknowledging the sovereignty of the Kaurna people, the First Nations people upon whose land we live and work. Thanks must go to Deborah Dempsey, Mary Bernstein and Nancy Naples for collaborating on an earlier version of the project. Thanks are also due to Clare Bartholomaeus, for undertaking an extensive annotated bibliography that informed the introduction to this paper.