Research Briefs

Is Same Sex Marriage Good for The Economy?

Gay marriage advocates argue that same-sex marriage laws would help state economies. Examining various measures of state business environments, this paper asks whether this claim has merit. Across ten measures, states with marriage amendments do significantly better than states with same-sex marriage on a majority of indicators while states with same-sex marriage are disproportionately represented in the negative categories of nearly half the measures and underrepresented in most of the positive measures.

Marriage Amendments and Same-Sex Union Recognition

Since 1998, voters in thirty states have approved constitutional amendments defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  In every state where the definition of marriage has been put on the ballot, the voters have protected marriage, often by large margins.  Research indicates, though, that the absence of a marriage amendment dramatically increases the likelihood that gay marriage will be recognized.

Family Structures Study

The New Family Structure Study (NFSS) shows clearly that the best place to raise children is with their mother and father.  It is a comparative project which seeks to understand how young adults (~ages 18-39) raised by same-sex parents fare on a variety of social, emotional, and relational outcomes when compared with young adults raised in homes with their married biological parents, those raised with a step-parent, and those raised in homes with two adoptive parents.

Same-Sex Parenting and Children’s Outcomes: A Closer Examination of The American Psychological Association’s Brief on Lesbian and Gay Parenting

Very often you’ve heard the assertion that lesbian or gay parents are just as good for children as a mom and a dad.  Most of the time, those making the assertion, if they rely on anything resource at all, refer to a 2005 American Psychological Association (APA)brief which included the assertion: “Not a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents” (p. 15). This resource closely examines this assertion and the 59 published studies cited by the APA to support it.  The conclusion is that strong assertions, including those made by the APA, were not empirically warranted.

Why Libertarians Should Oppose Same-Sex Marriage

Government recognizes marriage because it is an institution that benefits society in a way that no other relationship does.  Marriage is society’s least restrictive means to ensure the well-being of children, while respecting everyone’s liberty to form their own relationships.  Whether you think government should “get out of the marriage business” or simply leave it to the states, this brief helps unpack the uniqueness of marriage and its crucial place in our society.

Scholarly Articles on Family Structure and Recent Research

The latest social science data about how children who were raised in different family types compare, as adults, on a variety of outcomes and measures. It primarily showcases data from the recently completed New Family Structures Study (NFSS), a comparative social science project led by Dr. Mark Regnerus of the Population Research Center of the University of Texas at Austin.

The Taxpayer Cost of Divorce and Unwed Child Bearing: First-Ever Estimates for The National and For All Fifty States

Family fragmentation costs over the United States $112 billion a year.  One of the surest ways to help our economy, lower our taxes, and put more discretionary income in each household is to keep mothers and fathers together with their children.  While marriage is certainly damaged by divorce and unwed child bearing, redefining the institution only serves to further de-link mothers and fathers from any children they may have.