Consequences of voter referendums for marginalized groups

Combining data from the Gallup daily tracking poll of 32,000 adults with official records of television advertisement data from October 1 to November 6, 2012, researchers found that the probability of reporting stress increased among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender individuals with increasing exposure to television advertisements about voter referendums concerning same-sex marriage; the probability of reporting sadness or happiness increased with exposure to negative or positive advertisements, respectively, suggesting that referendums can be a source of both stress and resilience for marginalized groups.

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Article #17-12897: "Identifying psychological responses of stigmatized groups to referendums," by Andrew R. Flores, Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, and Gary J. Gates.

MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew R. Flores, Mills College, Oakland, CA; tel: 760-985-9367, 510-430-2396; e-mail: <andflores@mills.edu>