2017 Research in the Capitol

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)

Keywords

Transgender people--Public opinion;

Abstract

Discrimination and negative attitudes toward transgender individuals lead to much higher suicide rates among this population (41% vs. national average of 2%; Haas, Rodgers, & Herman, 2014), and fears for their safety (Perry & Dyck, 2014). In this study, we investigated whether inducing empathy would improve attitudes toward transgender men vs. women. 242 participants read one of four vignettes (i.e., a definition of “transgender,” a personal story of a transgender female or male, or a control story), rated their empathy and attitudes toward transgender individuals, and completed demographic and personality measures. The vignettes did not increase empathy, but participants who were more religious or conservative reported more negative views of transgender people, regardless of the transgender person’s gender. Participants higher in general levels of empathy reported more positive attitudes. A focus on biological underpinnings of trangenderism (i.e., that it is not a “choice”) may improve attitudes more than empathy alone.

Start Date

28-3-2017 11:30 AM

End Date

28-3-2017 1:30 PM

Event Host

University Honors Programs, Iowa Regent Universities

Faculty Advisor

Helen Harton

Department

Department of Psychology

File Format

application/pdf

Off-Campus Access

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Mar 28th, 11:30 AM Mar 28th, 1:30 PM

Predictors of Attitudes toward Transgender Men and Women

Discrimination and negative attitudes toward transgender individuals lead to much higher suicide rates among this population (41% vs. national average of 2%; Haas, Rodgers, & Herman, 2014), and fears for their safety (Perry & Dyck, 2014). In this study, we investigated whether inducing empathy would improve attitudes toward transgender men vs. women. 242 participants read one of four vignettes (i.e., a definition of “transgender,” a personal story of a transgender female or male, or a control story), rated their empathy and attitudes toward transgender individuals, and completed demographic and personality measures. The vignettes did not increase empathy, but participants who were more religious or conservative reported more negative views of transgender people, regardless of the transgender person’s gender. Participants higher in general levels of empathy reported more positive attitudes. A focus on biological underpinnings of trangenderism (i.e., that it is not a “choice”) may improve attitudes more than empathy alone.