University Students’ Attitudes Toward Homosexuals

Abstract

The current study examined the differences in the levels of homophobia in terms of the sex of participants, level of class, level of religiosity, acquaintance, and level of acquaintance with homosexual individuals among university students. Hudson and Ricketts’s Homophobia Scale and a demographic questionnaire were given to 419 university students (298 female and 121 male) who participated in the study. The analyses were conducted using SPSS 22.0. The results showed that male students had more negative attitudes toward homosexuals compared to female students, students who defined themselves as religious had more negative attitudes, and individuals who had a homosexual acquaintance had more positive attitudes. Moreover, it was found that individuals who had a very close level of acquaintance with homosexuals had more positive attitudes toward lesbians and gays. No significant difference was found in the level of homophobia in terms of the level of class. The findings are discussed in light of previous research. In addition, suggestions for future research are provided.

Keywords

• Homophobia
• Lesbian
• Gay
• Attitude Toward Homosexuals
• University Students

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