Sociology

Now that you have learned about sociological theory and research practices, it’s your turn to think like a sociologist. Pretend you are a social researcher and that you want to answer a question about social life using sociological tools. Complete the following exercise:
• Ask a question about society that you think a sociologist could research. Explain why you think a sociologist might find it important to answer this question.
• Identify one theoretical approach (refer to previous lesson/pp. 39-50) that you think would be appropriate for your study and justify your choice by explaining how you would connect it to your question and topic.
• Identify one research method that you think would be appropriate for your study and justify your choice by explaining how you would use it to answer the question.
• If you think that more than one theory and/or method is appropriate, make sure you thoroughly explain why each of your choices is relevant. Do not simply review theories and methods; you must directly justify their usefulness in your proposed study.
In short, pretend you’re a sociologist and discuss how you think you’d use the tools you’ve learned about so far to answer a real question.
Your report may be represented in one of the following formats:
1. Slide/PowerPoint presentation. A presentation should be approximately 10 slides.
2. Informal report. Please follow the guidance/format in the document attached at the bottom.
In either case, make sure you are representing your thought process and your answers to the above questions adequately.
Please review the attached document for further guidance:
SOC101 Study Proposal Report Guide.docx
(Attached)
STUDY PROPOSAL GUIDE
Question:
Identify your question about society here. Make sure it is a specific question about society or some
aspect of society.
After identifying your question, discuss why you think it is interesting, important, or otherwise
appropriate for a sociologist to pursue.
Theory:
Identify a relevant sociological theory (see pp. 39-50 in your textbook) and describe how this theory
could be connected to your question. How would this theory’s perspective on society be appropriate for
the question you’re asking? How do you think your results might support or challenge the theory’s
assumptions?
Method:
Identify a relevant sociological research method and describe how this method could be actually used to
conduct a study to answer your question. What kinds of data/evidence would you gather? How? Why?
How would you analyze it? What sorts of conclusions do you think this method would allow you to
make?
IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO AN INFORMAL REPORT:
You may use this document as a template. Please delete this section and the section below before
turning it in.

ANSWER

The Proximate Causes of Homelessness among LGBTQ Youths

Introduction

The issue of homelessness has been a sociological inquiry for many years. Since the 1970s, there has been an increased focus on the issue of homelessness. The number of homeless people in the United States has grown exponentially, reaching an all-time high in 2017 (Fraser, Pierse, Chisholm, and Cook, 2019). The problem of homelessness is not only an American one but a global issue. A 2018 report by the United Nations found that there are over 1.2 billion people who are homeless worldwide. The topic has been explored in various ways, such as through studies on the causes of homelessness, the different demographics of people who experience homelessness, and the effects of homelessness on individuals and society. Recently, there has been an increased focus on the homeless population identifying as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer). This is likely due to several factors, including the rise in visibility of LGBTQ people in media and society and increased awareness of this population’s unique challenges.

What are the Proximate Causes of Homelessness among LGBTQ Youths?

A question that most sociologists would research is what the proximate causes of homelessness among LGBTQ youths are. While the problem of homelessness affects people of all ages, genders, and walks of life, there is a particular group that is disproportionately affected by this issue: LGBTQ youths. Studies have shown that LGBTQ youths are more likely to experience homelessness than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts (Shelton et al., 2018). Several factors contribute to this disparity, including discrimination, rejection by family members, and a lack of inclusive and affirming resources. There is still much to learn about the experiences of LGBTQ people who are homeless.

Many studies have shown that many homeless youths in the United States identify as part of the LGBTQ community. Researchers have identified different reasons and perspectives on this form of homeless among the youths. Answering this question would help in the formulation of policies that would address this problem. The research question is significant because it addresses a social problem that has been ignored for a long time. It also attempts to explain why this particular group is more prone to homelessness than any other group.

According to The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty report in 2013, it is estimated that each year 1.6 million youth experience some form of homelessness in the United States. According to the True Colors Fund’s Invisible Youth Report released in 2012, LGBTQ youths make up 20-40% of all homeless young people, even though they only represent 5-10% of the general youth population. The effects of homelessness can be profound and far-reaching. Homelessness is linked to several negative consequences, including physical health, poor mental health, lower educational attainment, and increased exposure to violence. LGBTQ youths who experience homelessness are especially vulnerable to these negative outcomes due to the additional stressors they face.

Interactionist Theory in homelessness among LGBTTQ Youth

Interactionist theory is a sociological perspective that emphasizes the micro-level interactions between individuals, suggesting that it is through these interactions that social order is created and maintained (Carter and Fuller, 2016). Interactionism is different from structural theory, which focuses on the macro-level structures that shape society, and conflict theory which focuses on the behavior of human and human instincts towards conflict and how it affects individuals with incompatible interests.

Interactionist theory has been used to explain various social phenomena, including homelessness. In particular, interactionist theory has been used to explain why homelessness is more prevalent among certain groups, such as LGBTQ youths. First, interactionist theory emphasizes the importance of social interactions in shaping individual behavior. This is important because many factors contributing to homelessness, such as family rejection and discrimination, are rooted in social interactions. Second, interactionist theory suggests that individuals construct their reality through interactions with others. This is relevant to understanding homelessness among LGBTQ youths because it helps understand how individuals perceive LGBTQ youths and the reasons for their perceptions.

There are several ways in which interactionist theory can be used to understand homelessness among LGBTTQ youth. One way is to consider the role of discrimination in creating and sustaining homelessness among this population (McCann and Brown, 2019). Discrimination can take many forms, including institutionalized discrimination (such as housing discrimination), interpersonal bigotry (such as family rejection), and microaggressions (such as everyday slights and remarks). These forms of discrimination can work together to push LGBTTQ youth out of their homes. Interactionist theory shows that an individual’s patterns of behavior are based on their interactions with others in their social environment. In the context of homelessness among LGBTQ youth, interactionist theory suggests that how homeless LGBTQ youths interact with others (e.g., service providers, family members, etc.) influences their experiences of homelessness. For example, if a homeless LGBTQ youth interacts with service providers who are not knowledgeable about or affirming their identity, this could negatively impact the youth’s experience of homelessness. Alternatively, if a homeless LGBTQ youth has positive interactions with supportive family members or service providers, this could help to mitigate some of the negative effects of homelessness.

Research Methodology

Sociologists play a great role in examining the social world, identifying a problem and an interesting pattern in behavior. Sociologists rely on sociological research methods to plan the study. Planning a research method is a major step in any sociological study since it allows for designing ways through which data will be collected. In planning sociological research, there are wide approaches to social investigation. Sociology research methods include surveys, interviews, and observations (Patten, 2017). Every sociological research method has its own benefits and limitations, and the topic strongly influences the research approach used. When considering a sociological study, it’s important to consider the most effective method to obtain knowledge and gather data about the research question. Surveys entail administering a questionnaire to a large group of people to collect data about a specific topic. Interviews involve asking questions in person or over the phone/internet to gather information about an individual’s thoughts, experiences, and feelings on a particular subject. Observations entail going out into the field and observing people’s behaviors and interactions.

Surveys would be the most effective when conducting research on homelessness among LGBTQ youths since a large amount of data can be collected relatively quickly and easily. Interviews could also be used to supplement the data collected from surveys. Observations would likely not be as useful since it would be difficult to accurately observe and record the behaviors of a homeless population that is often transient and living in hiding. Therefore, surveys would be the best method for conducting research on homelessness among LGBTQ youths. Survey design will help in collecting data from subjects that respond to several opinions and behaviors mostly in the form of a questionnaire (Reinharz, 2017).

When conducting this research, it is important to be sensitive to the fact that many homeless LGBTQ youths live in hiding and may not want their experiences to be made public. Any findings should be presented in a way that protects the anonymity of those surveyed. Therefore, the standard format for a survey will give the participants a level of anonymity where they can express their ideas compared to the other sociological research approaches.

The study will focus on quantitative data obtained from survey questionnaires. The survey questionnaires will obtain data on the likelihood of a certain factor in causing homelessness. Surveys will collect quantitative data on many individuals, which can be helpful in understanding trends and general patterns among homeless LGBTQ youths. However, surveys have some limitations; for example, they may not be able to capture the unique experiences of individual respondents or the complexities of interactions between individuals and their social environments.

The data results will be analyzed through descriptive analysis, indicating how frequently a certain response or event occurs. The descriptive analysis will analyze the data from a subjective perspective. The results of this research could be used to inform policies and programs aimed at helping homeless LGBTQ youths. By understanding this population’s unique experiences and needs, service providers can better tailor their offerings to meet the needs of homeless LGBTQ youths.

Conclusion

Despite the high numbers of LGBTQ youths making up the homeless population, the causes of homelessness among LGBTQ youths have been unexplored. Therefore, the study proposal focused on a sociological question on the proximate cause of homelessness among LGBTQ youths. Answering this question will give systematic thinking on the issue of LGBTQ homelessness to help develop sensitive and well-informed support programs. The interactionist theory will help understand how people have constructed images of LGTBQ youth homeless in society. The survey research method will be an effective approach to discovering how people think and feel about the issue of homelessness among LGTBQ youths.

References

Carter, M. J., & Fuller, C. (2016). Symbols, meaning, and action: The past, present, and future of symbolic interactionism. Current Sociology, 64(6), 931-961.

Fraser, B., Pierse, N., Chisholm, E., & Cook, H. (2019). LGBTIQ+ homelessness: A review of the literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(15), 2677.

McCann, E., & Brown, M. (2019). Homelessness among youth who identify as LGBTQ+: A systematic review. Journal of clinical nursing, 28(11-12), 2061-2072.

Patten, M. L. (2017). Understanding research methods: An overview of the essentials. Routledge.

Reinharz, S. (2017). On Becoming a Social Scientist: from survey research and participant observation to Experimental Analysis. Routledge.

Shelton, J., DeChants, J., Bender, K., Hsu, H. T., Maria, D. S., Petering, R., … & Barman-Adhikari, A. (2018). Homelessness and housing experiences among LGBTQ young adults in seven US cities. Cityscape, 20(3), 9-34.