Celebrating Pride: Undergrad Research Analyzes Conflict in Beliefs About Sexuality

To celebrate Pride Month in June, a Utah State Today series is highlighting university employees and students who are conducting research, academic pursuits and other projects related to or that benefit the LGBTQIA+ community.

Abby Palfreyman

Recent graduate, Cultural Anthropology, Psychology and Interfaith Leadership

• Area of study: religious values and personal beliefs about queer sexual identities

Why is this work important?

“This research is important for representing what people believe and what they actually think instead of speculation. It’s honest and point blank about what is going on. It’s refreshing to have it all laid out.”

Summary of project

Abby Palfreyman graduated in May 2021 from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences with a bachelor’s in Cultural Anthropology, a minor in Psychology and a Certificate of Study in Interfaith Leadership.

This spring, Palfreyman conducted an undergrad research project analyzing the dissonance that USU undergrad students feel between their religious values and their personal beliefs about queer sexual identities.

Palfreyman approached her survey with this question: What degree of harmony and/or dissonance exists between personal attitudes toward queer sexual orientation and the perceived belief of their religious institution? In the context of this survey, dissonance is when an individual has two or more contradicting beliefs.

Through a survey of more than 920 USU undergrad students, Palfreyman found that most young adults view all queer sexual identities more positively than they perceive their affiliated religion to view them.

• Learn more about the project on Liberalis: Where Cultural and Religious Beliefs Differ
• View the research on Symposium: Conflict between Personal Beliefs and Religious Orientation in Young Adults