Attitudinal Change, Cohort Replacement, and the Liberalization of Attitudes about Same-sex Relationships, 1973–2018

Americans’ attitudes toward same-sex relationships have liberalized considerably over the last 40 years. We examine how demographic processes generating social change in changed time. Using data from 1973 to 2018 General Social Survey and decomposition techniques, we estimate relative contributions of intracohort cohort replacement overall for three different periods. (1) period prior rapid increase attitude liberalization marriage rights (1973–1991), (2) contentious debate about lesbian gay (1991–2002), (3) legislative judicial at state federal levels (2002–2018). find that both intercohort played positive significant roles postlegalization period, but individual was more important than population turnover this period.