Buzzfeed describes how gay marriage proponents - specifically those hired to help gay marriage initiatives pass in several states this past election - were able to change attitudes about it and gain support from the electorate. The key was to change the attitudes of people in the middle - big surprise.
Its a great look at how effective interest groups influence public opinion.
The story links to a report from a group called Third Way titled Commitment: The Answer to the Middle's Questions on Marriage for Gay Couples. Some text from the story:
The surprise sweep for marriage equality efforts at the polls in 2012 came after a dramatic shift in the television ads their backers ran — a change that came about after a yearlong research effort to crack the code of previously successful ads run by marriage-equality opponents that focused on "gay marriage" being taught in schools.
Among the key changes were a shift away from talk of "rights" to a focus on committed relationships; a decision to address "values" directly as being learned at home; and an attempt to give voters "permission" to change their minds, according to elements of the research shared with BuzzFeed.
The research was "instrumental in helping us figure out our path," said Zach Silk, who served as the campaign manager to approve Washington's Referendum 74.
The research was sponsored by Third Way — a centrist Democratic think tank — that conducted an extended round of surveys beginning in September 2010 "aimed at answering a single question: How do we most effectively persuade people in the middle to support relationship recognition for gay and lesbian couples, including marriage?"
