Attitudes toward Homosexuality among Indonesian Social Work College Students

摘要

This study investigated the associations of socio-demographic and socio-culture factors with attitudes toward homosexuality. Using convenience sampling, students were recruited from 5 social work programs at 5 (five) different universities in provinces of West Java, Yogyakarta, East Java and Maluku. Attitudes toward homosexuality were measured using revised version of Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale. Simple regression analysis was performed to examine the associations. Five hundred and eleven undergraduate students aged between 17 to 28 years completed self-administered survey conducted in late 2016. The study found that social work student' generally indicated negative attitudes toward homosexuality. Levels of interaction with homosexual individuals and length of study associated with attitudes toward homosexuality. Higher levels of interactions with homosexuals associated with more positive attitudes toward homosexuality. On the contrary, students from older cohort reported more negative attitudes toward homosexuality than their younger counterparts. Sex, ethnicity, religion and the level of religiosity were not found as significant factors. The findings bring some implications for reviewing social work education and further studies.