Microeconometrics Seminar: Every Tuesday
Time: 12:15 pm – 13:30 pm
Date: 10th of May 2022
Room : 3001

Abstract: In this paper, we report new statistics on views and beliefs regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the United States using a nationally representative online sample. Studying views toward LGBT people in the labor market is particularly timely and important given a 2020 Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County that extended federal employment nondiscrimination protection to LGBT people. Using a double list experiment method designed to elicit true views free from social desirability bias, we find that anti-transgender sentiment in the labor market is significantly underreported. Despite this, we find that after correcting for social desirability bias, over 73% of people would be comfortable with a transgender manager at work and support nondiscrimination protection in employment for transgender people. Interestingly, respondents underestimate the overall level of support for transgender people in the general population. On the other hand, our survey reveals that general views towards lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals are significantly more positive than towards transgender individuals. At the same time, almost 40% of Americans are in favor of allowing businesses to refuse service to sexual and gender minorities for religious reasons, and more than 30%of sexual minorities are unaware that they are legally protected from employment discrimination. Taken together our results provide new and timely evidence on sentiment toward LGBT people in the United States and indicate that although anti-transgender sentiment is underreported and less positive than views towards sexual minorities, a sizable majority of American adults do support transgender people in the labor market, including in positions of workplace authority.

Organizers:

Benoît SCHMUTZ (Pôle d’économie du CREST)
Roland RATHELOT (Pôle d’économie du CREST)
Sponsors:
CREST