Cultural Conservatism and Opposition to Marriage Equality: The Case of Taiwan

Abstract: Religious and political conservatism are the strongest predictors of opposition to same-sex marriage (SSM) in the West. As marriage equality increasingly becomes a political issue in parts of the world where evangelical Christianity is less common and political parties have not taken clear positions, it is less clear whether the same factors influence public opinion elsewhere. We focus on Taiwan, which reinforced its international reputation as a beacon of liberal values by becoming the first Asian country to legalize SSM, even though the public had just voted against marriage equality in a referendum. Although Christian churches led the opposition to SSM, surveys from before and after the policy change indicate that traditional cultural norms presented greater obstacles to marriage equality than religion. Age and education also had strong impacts on public support for marriage equality, but gender and partisan differences were relatively weak.

• Hsin-Ta Andre Tsai

• Program Evaluation, Public Management and Administration

• Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy