|| News ||
Page 1 of 1

Study: U.S. occupies bigotry median

News 2007-02-13 Study: U.S. occupies bigotry median Northern Ireland is "the hate capital of the West," according to new university research, with an astonishing 44% of its citizens


Northern Ireland is "the hate capital of the West," according to new university research, with an astonishing 44% of its citizens proving disturbingly homophobic.

The research from Northern Ireland's University of Ulster, to be published in the economics journal Kyklos, said that the country leads Western nations in its animosity toward gays and immigrants, while the United States is almost exactly in the middle, bigotry-wise, of 23 nations studied.

Vani Borooah, professor of applied economics at Ulster, and John Mangan, professor of economics at Australia's University of Queensland, collaborated in the study, which surveyed 32,000 people across 19 European counties, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.

The Human Rights and Values survey asked respondents what they thought of minority groups—and how they would feel about having members of certain groups as their neighbors.

The five groups included members of other races, immigrants or foreign workers, Muslims, Jews, and homosexuals.

An astonishing 44% of the 1,000 respondents in Northern Ireland said they didn't want members of even one of the five groups as their neighbors.

The bigotry proportion of Northern Ireland was followed closely by Greece with 43%.

The lowest proportion occurred in Sweden, with 13%.

Homophobia was by far the main source of bigotry in most Western countries: More than 80% of bigoted people in Northern Ireland and Canada, and 75% of bigots in Austria, the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, and Italy, wouldn't want gays or lesbians as neighbors.

In Scandinavian countries the main target of hostility turned toward Muslims.

Seventy-four percent of bigoted Danes, 68% of bigoted Swedes, and 63% of bigoted Icelanders did not want Muslims as neighbors.

* The study also came up with the following conclusions:

* Women are less likely to be bigoted than men.

* There is evidence that financial dissatisfaction might also be a source of bigotry.

Students were less likely to be bigots than nonstudents.

To read the full report go to www.publicaffairs.ulster.ac.uk/podcasts/Bigotry.pdf. (Hassan Mirza, Gay.com/U.K.)

Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter. Page 1 of 1



More Online Only
  • Commentary What Marriage in Maine Meant for Me

    Dana Hernandez is a straight white married mother of two young children. But in campaigning for No on 1 and reporting Election Night outcomes for Advocate.com, defeat hit her like a ton of bricks.

  • Marriage Equality Video Content Flag Terri White Stages Her Leather Encore

    Last year, acclaimed stage performer Terri White was homeless and living in a public park. On Sunday, she and her partner held a leather-themed commitment ceremony onstage following her triumphant Broadway turn in Finian’s Rainbow. 

  • Music Ghost Story

    Out singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile discusses working with her childhood mentor, coming out publicly, and joining next year's Lilith Fair.

  • News View From Washington: GOP Upheaval

    Now that the only pro-marriage equality candidate in New York's 23rd Congressional district, Republican Dede Scozzafava, has dropped out of the race, Tuesday's election holds any number of political lessons for both the GOP and the LGBT community.

  • Books Hot Sheet: Ditto Knocking 'Em Dead

    This week might not bring anything to the screen other than a Boondock Saints sequel, but there are plenty of reasons to sit at home on the couch or head to your local concert venue.

  • News Features Sailor Speaks Out

    Sailor Joseph Rocha endured years of hazing until he spoke out — then he was discharged for revealing his homosexuality. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old is itching to suit back up.

  • Music Rainbow High

    Busy Broadway heartthrob, gay rights activist, and former Advocate coverboy Cheyenne Jackson chats about his Finian’s Rainbow revival, his politically charged cabaret CD, and laying around in his underpants (pic on page five).

  • Television Another Tough Broad

    After being outed by a Nazi and locking lips with a hook-up three times in one episode, Christine Woods's tough-talking FBI agent Janis Hawk on ABC's FlashForward might just be prime time's best gay offering — who isn't in Glee club, that is.

  • Books Video Content Flag In Sickness and in Health

    Mary Cappello’s memoir Called Back takes readers on a white-knuckle journey through the experience of cancer treatment in America — especially disorienting to navigate as a woman and a lesbian.

  • Books An American Crime

    Best-selling novelist Patricia Cornwell made headlines last week when she filed suit against a New York investment firm for losing $40 million of her money. But she'd much rather talk about her new book, hate-crimes legislation, and Angelina Jolie.

  • Comedy Gilded Lily

    After conquering Broadway, movies, and television, out funny lady Lily Tomlin prepares for the final frontier — Las Vegas.

  • Entertainment News Ricky Martin, No Shirt and a Baby

    Ricky Martin knows how to get the camera's attention. Take a look at the many pictures of Ricky uploaded to his Twitter account in the past three months, always shirtless, frequently carrying one (or both) of his babies.

  • Television Fresh Blood

    With True Blood a bona-fide cultural phenomenon, producer Alan Ball offers tantalizing hints about what to expect on season 3.

Most Popular Stories