Introduction

As nearly half US states have considered legislation that would restrict public restroom usage based on sex, in recent years this issue has come to the forefront of public discourse. To inform this policy, it is imperative to examine opinions regarding bathroom bills and how these opinions are shaped by individual differences. The current mixed-methods study examined the relationship between Moral Foundations Theory, bathroom bill opinions, and participant perceptions of their own support and opposition to this type of legislation.

Method

In 2017, undergraduate students at a large US public university completed the Moral Foundations Questionnaire and indicated their opinion of a hypothetical bathroom bill. Subsequently, researchers interviewed 22 participants from this group about their perceptions of this bill and the factors that shaped these opinions.

Results

Approximately two-thirds of participants supported instituting a hypothetical bathroom bill. Regardless of political affiliation, the moral pillars Purity/Sanctity and Authority/Respect were associated with support for the bill and Care/Harm predicted opposition to the bill. Qualitative analyses of participant interviews provided further understanding of why participants supported (e.g., safety, fear, sacrifice) or opposed (e.g., equality, bill is unnecessary/impractical to implement) the bill. Participants acknowledged that their opinions of the bill were likely shaped by personal relationships (e.g., with family members, friends) and their experiences (e.g., traveling, parochial education).

Discussion

The data suggest that Moral Foundations Theory may be one framework to understand differences in opinions regarding bathroom bill legislation.

中文翻译：

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“您的权利从我的权利始于终点”：道德基础理论与浴室法案支持的混合方法研究

介绍

由于近一半的美国州已考虑通过立法限制基于性别的公共厕所使用，因此近年来，这一问题已成为公众讨论的焦点。为了告知该政策，必须检查有关浴室账单的意见以及这些意见如何因个体差异而形成。当前的混合方法研究检查了道德基础理论，浴室帐单意见以及参与者对其自身对此类立法的支持和反对的看法之间的关系。

方法

2017年，美国一所大型公立大学的本科生完成了《道德基金会问卷》，并表达了他们对假想浴室账单的看法。随后，研究人员采访了该组的22位参与者，以了解他们对该法案的看法以及影响这些观点的因素。

结果

大约三分之二的参与者支持制定虚拟浴室法案。无论政治从属关系，纯洁/圣洁和权威/尊重的道德支柱都与对该法案的支持相关，而Care / Harm预计反对该法案。对参与者访谈的定性分析提供了对参与者为何支持（例如，安全，恐惧，牺牲）或反对（例如，平等，法案对于实施法案而言是不必要/不切实际）的进一步理解。与会者承认，他们对该法案的看法可能是由个人关系（例如与家人，朋友）和经历（例如旅行，狭par教育）形成的。

讨论

数据表明，道德基础理论可能是理解浴室法案立法观点分歧的一种框架。