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"Glee" And "Modern Family" Drive Voters To Favor Gay Marriage - Even Many Romney Voters

Jameelah James |
November 6, 2012 | 11:04 a.m. PST

Staff Reporter

If Cam and Mitchell were to get married, 11% of Romney supporters would be likely to stop watching. (ABC/Peter "Hopper" Stone)
If Cam and Mitchell were to get married, 11% of Romney supporters would be likely to stop watching. (ABC/Peter "Hopper" Stone)
Thanks to advancements in technology the media has grown immensely over the past 50 years. From radio to newspapers, from television to the internet, our society depends on this form of communication to live our daily lives. With this type of dependence, it’s no wonder that media is often accused of influencing public opinion. One example is the public’s support of the war on terrorism. After the 9/11 attacks, the media used a great deal of time to present coverage of the attacks and expose Osama as the main culprit. This constant portrayal led many Americans to believe that terrorism was an extensive problem in the world and supported President Bush and his plans to end it. 

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More recently, The Hollywood Reporter (THR) stated that shows such as Glee, Modern Family, and The New Normal are influencing countless voters to support gay marriage.  According to their recent poll, over the past ten years three times as many voters have become pro-gay marriage as those who have become more anti-gay marriage. Twenty-seven percent of voters polled said these shows made them more pro-gay marriage, while only six percent said they become more anti-gay marriage. "This data would suggest that seeing this stuff makes it more socially acceptable," said THR pollster Jon Penn. "Views on gay marriage have exponentially gone in its favor since 2002."

This poll also revealed that of the Obama voters who watched these shows, 30 percent became more supportive and only 2 percent became less supportive.  Unexpectedly, these shows also made many Romney voters favor gay marriage: 13 percent became more pro-gay-marriage while 12 percent became more anti. THR says, “Obama voters are twice as likely to watch Modern Family as Romney voters, twice as likely to watch Glee, and three times more likely to watch The New Normal.” 

This same poll revealed that Romney voters are five times more likely than Obama voters to stop watching a show if a gay person plays a straight role (25% vs. 5%) and nearly eight times more likely to stop watching if a straight person plays a gay role (30% vs. 4%). Even though Ann Romney has revealed that Modern Family is one of her favorite shows, if gay couple Cam and Mitchell were to get married, 11 percent of Romney supporters would be less likely to continue watching vs. zero percent of Obama supporters. "Obama voters are watching and saying, 'OK, I've changed because of what I've seen,'" says Penn. "Some Romney voters are saying, 'The more I see it, the more I'm against it.'”

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Young people make up more than half of the voters who say that television has made them more knowledgeable on this issue, and voters under the age of 35 have a different view than some Romney voters. Thirty-eight percent say that viewing these shows have made them favor gay marriage, compared to the twenty percent of voters over thirty-five. The internet has also helped to spark this change, “under-35 voters are 15 times likelier than over-35 voters to let celebrities on the internet sway their vote”, says THR. 

In regards to Cam and Mitchell getting married on Modern Family, this poll showed, “13 times as many under-35 voters say that would make them much more likely to tune in: 13 percent, versus only 1 percent of over-35 voters.” This may lead one to wonder if the under-35 voters’ political opinions will change as they grow older. Penn believes they may become more “economically conservative”, but is unsure if they will change their social views.

Read more 2012 Election coverage here.

Reach Staff Reporter Jameelah James here.



 

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