Swiping right, leaning right? Unequal dating market dynamics and sexual conservative backlash (GENBACK)
P4-S102-5
Presented by: Alberto López Ortega
Modern dating markets reveal stark disparities in relationship preferences: while heterosexual women tend to seek committed partnerships, men are increasingly open to casual relationships and non-traditional arrangements, getting closer to LGBTQ+ dating preferences. These behavioral differences have become lightning rods in contemporary debates about sexually progressive education on LGBTQ+ and relationship diversity matters. Through two survey experiment sin the UK and Spain (N=4,000), I examine how information about group-based differences in relationship preferences shapes both intergroup attitudes and support for competing visions of sexual and gender education. When exposed to data highlighting commitment gaps between heterosexual men and women, and even larger disparities among gay/bisexual men and women, respondents display decreased warmth toward sexual minorities and shift towards conservative education policy preferences. Support for traditional Christian family education increases while backing for progressive curricula—covering LGBT+ issues, sexual consent, and relationship diversity— declines. I show how these effects can be most pronounced among conservative voters and, among women, who despite their generally progressive attitudes show the strongest conservative shifts when confronted with evidence of sexual permissiveness.
Keywords: dating, backlash, LGBTQ+ rights, far-right