Religion, Education and Attitudes Towards Homosexuality Among Dutch Adolescents: A Moderation Analysis

Abstract

Literature on attitudes towards homosexuality is growing, but not all relations have yet been thoroughly explored. While it is known that a negative relation between religiosity and attitudes towards homosexuality exists, not enough is yet known about whether this is different for different religious denominations and what role educational attainment plays. In this moderation analysis study, a sample of Dutch Catholic, Muslim and Protestant adolescent participants of the 2017 HBSC study (n = 2,139) is used. The results indicate evidence for a significant moderating effect of religious denomination between religiosity and attitudes towards homosexuality. Specifically, this suggests that the relation between religiosity and attitudes towards homosexuality may depend on the religious denomination one adheres to. Educational attainment, however, was not found to have a significant moderating effect, indicating that the relation between religiosity and attitudes towards homosexuality is not altered by higher or lower educational attainment. Results regarding the moderating effect for religious denomination are discussed from a cultural and social perspective. Special attention is given to the minority status of Muslim adolescents in the West. Regarding the role of educational attainment, implications for further research are discussed.