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Changing the Sentiment of Those the Law Affects: Federal Marriage Promotion Programs

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Abstract

This qualitative study examined how 24 African American men and women responded to the question: Do you believe the government should try to change people’s attitudes to be more “pro-marriage ”? If so how and what should be the government’s role? Results indicated 14 individuals (58 %) did not believe the government should try to change people’s attitudes to be more “pro-marriage”; seven participants (29 %) believed the government should try to change people’s attitudes to be more “pro-marriage”; and three participants (13 %) believed the government can change community sentiment regarding marriage but offered several caveats related to what the role of government should and should not be. The implications of these results for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers are discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The terms “Black” and “African American” will be used interchangeably in this chapter.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child and Family Studies, School of Social Work, College of Human Sciences and Education, Louisiana State University, 331 Huey P. Long Fieldhouse, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803-4300, USA

    Cassandra Chaney Ph.D.

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  1. Cassandra Chaney Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Cassandra Chaney Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Criminal Justice, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA

    Monica K. Miller

  2. Syracuse University College of Law, Syracuse, New York, USA

    Jeremy A. Blumenthal

  3. Arizona School of Professional Psychology, Argosy University, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

    Jared Chamberlain

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Chaney, C. (2015). Changing the Sentiment of Those the Law Affects: Federal Marriage Promotion Programs. In: Miller, M., Blumenthal, J., Chamberlain, J. (eds) Handbook of Community Sentiment. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1899-7_10

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