03.27.07
Survey: Americans more accepting of openly gay athletes
According to a recent national survey conducted by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive, 72% of heterosexual adults say their feelings toward their favorite male professional athlete would not change if the player revealed he is gay.
The results demonstrate an increase from August 2002, when heterosexual adults were asked the same question and 66% responded that their feelings wouldn’t change if a player came out.
“Openly gay and lesbian athletes have become far more visible in the nation’s major media with the coming-out of WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes and the very recent publication of the New York Times best seller Man in the Middle by former NBA pro John Amaechi,” said Bob Witeck, CEO of Witeck-Combs. “Not only does public acceptance of gay athletes seem to be on the rise, but there’s slight progress in feelings that others are becoming more accepting as well.”
The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive in collaboration with Witeck-Combs in the United States between March 6 and March 14, among 2,510 adults (aged 18 and over), of whom 2,037 indicated they are heterosexual.