Non-conformity and Counter-conformity to Group Norms - An Exploration Using Gay Marriage and a Government Apology to Australian Aborigines

Matthew Hornsey,  Louise Majkut, Deborah Terry, and Blake McKimmie's 2003 article examines the conditions under which University of Queensland students in favor of legal recognition of gay couples or in favor of a government apology to the Aborigines would act on these attitudes either publicly or privately.  They specifically analyzed the roles of moral conviction, perceived societal support, and perceived support by the rest of the student body.  They found that, in general, a strong moral basis for the attitude, perceived societal opposition, and perceived group support correlated positively with intention to act, both privately and publicly.  Interestingly, intention to act publicly was sometimes greater than intention to act privately and group support sometimes had no effect at all.