Sexual prejudice declined across generational cohorts and genders: A cohort sequential latent growth curve model from 2014 to 2024

Despite attitudes towards the LGBTQIA+ community improving in recent years, older (vs younger) cohorts still report higher rates of sexual prejudice. To date, it is unclear if this generational difference emerges due to normative ageing or the distinct social norms in which each generation was born and raised (cohort effects). This pre-registered study clarifies the issue by utilizing cohort sequential latent growth curve modelling to examine the developmental trajectory of sexual prejudice for men and women across 11 annual waves of longitudinal panel data (N = 63,558). Our results reveal a period effect in which older (vs younger) cohorts and men (vs women) display higher initial mean levels of sexual prejudice. But due to shared social conditions, most cohorts experience comparable curvilinear declines in sexual prejudice across time. Collectively, our results highlight the malleability of sexual prejudice across the lifespan and demonstrate the need to examine the socio-political environment when taking a lifespan development perspective on anti-LGBTQIA+ attitudes.