Recent research has recognized that many people simultaneously hold positive and
negative attitudes about important political issues. In this article, we review the
concept of attitudinal ambivalence and propose a survey-based measure of ambivalence
adapted from the experimental literature. Extending our earlier work on abortion,
analysis of a statewide telephone survey of Florida residents reveals that (1) many
people have ambivalent attitudes about issues related to gay and lesbian rights; (2)
the amount of ambivalence varies according to the specific rights in question
(military service, gay marriage and adoption, membership in youth organizations such
as Boy Scouts, and others); (3) ambivalence on gay rights is to some extent a
function of conflict among citizens’ underlying core values; and (4) under certain
circumstances, ambivalence appears to mediate the relationship between a person’s
issue preferences with regard to gay rights and his or her evaluation of political
leaders and institutions.
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