How question wording affects polling on the morality of homosexuality

Americans largely don’t distinguish between the morality of “homosexuality” and “homosexual behavior,” though some subgroups may, according to a new survey experiment.

Over the years, Pew Research Center has asked Americans about the morality of both “homosexuality” and “homosexual behavior.”

Some respondents might be expected to answer these two questions differently because their religious traditions differentiate between identifying as homosexual and engaging in homosexual acts. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, for example, condemns unjust discrimination against people who are lesbian or gay, saying they “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity.” But it also lists homosexual behavior among the “sins gravely contrary to chastity,” placing it in the same category as masturbation, sex outside of marriage and pornography.

Does this difference in wording affect Americans’ responses to questions about the morality of same-sex relationships? We designed a survey experiment to find out.