Rhodebeck Laurie
a Department of Political Science , University of Louisville , Louisville , Kentucky , USA.
J Homosex. 2018;65(3):379-405. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2017.1317476. Epub 2017 May 25.
Although many studies have examined the role of values in shaping public opinion, the number of values that inform this research is limited. This article employs the concept of issue-relevant values as a means to explore the broader range of values associated with policy issues. After discussing the concept in general terms, the article explores issue-relevant values pertinent to public opinion about gay rights. Using the policy examples of employment nondiscrimination and same-sex couple adoption, the present study identifies, measures, and assesses several values that add to the very short list previously used to explain public opinion about gay rights issues. Content from interest-group Web sites and news media coverage of the two issues aided in identifying the values. Data from an original Internet survey yield valid measures of the values. Multivariate analyses indicate that the values behave in predictable ways: they are strongly influenced by partisanship, and they strongly affect opinions about the two issues. The performance of the values is consistent with findings from previous research on the partisan basis of values and the value-based nature of opinions. The article concludes with suggestions for further empirical and theoretical work that could apply and extend the concept of issue-relevant values.
尽管许多研究探讨了价值观在塑造公众舆论方面的作用，但用于该研究的价值观数量有限。本文采用与问题相关的价值观这一概念，作为探索与政策问题相关的更广泛价值观范围的一种手段。在对这一概念进行总体讨论之后，本文探讨了与公众对同性恋权利的看法相关的与问题相关的价值观。以就业非歧视和同性伴侣收养的政策为例，本研究识别、衡量并评估了几种价值观，这些价值观补充了之前用于解释公众对同性恋权利问题看法的非常简短的清单。利益集团网站的内容以及新闻媒体对这两个问题的报道有助于识别这些价值观。来自一项原创互联网调查的数据得出了这些价值观的有效衡量指标。多变量分析表明，这些价值观的表现具有可预测性：它们受到党派性的强烈影响，并且强烈影响对这两个问题的看法。这些价值观的表现与先前关于价值观的党派基础和基于价值观的观点性质的研究结果一致。文章最后提出了进一步实证和理论工作的建议，这些工作可以应用和扩展与问题相关的价值观这一概念。
