Personality Religiosity and Gender Influence Attitudes and Beliefs toward Transgenders

Abstract

Background. This study assesses the relationship among personality traits, religious orientations and gender in attitudes and beliefs toward transgenders in Pakistan. We expected personality traits like emotional stability and open to experience, intrinsic religious orientation and women would express greater inclusive attitudes and beliefs toward transgenders.

Methods.  A convenient sample of 75 male and 75 female (N = 150) young (18 to 25 years) students from different universities of Lahore were asked to complete Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI, Gosling et al., 2003), Revised Intrinsic/Extrinsic Religious Orientation Scale (I/E-R, Gorsuch & MacPherson, 1989) and Transgender Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (TABS, Kanamori et al., 2017).

Results. The findings suggested, openness to experience and emotional stability positively associated with positive attitudes and beliefs towards transgenders. Intrinsic religiosity positively and extrinsic personal religious orientation negatively associated with accepting transgenders. No gender differences were observed in attitudes and beliefs toward transgenders.

Conclusion. Openness to experience and emotional stability and intrinsic and extrinsic personal religious orientation can account for positive attitudes and beliefs toward transgenders. More data is needed to tease these factors to provide a basis for social change that would include transgenders in mainstream culture.

Keywords. personality traits, religious orientations, gender, transgenders, attitudes, beliefs