Support for Gay Marriage Grows as Supreme Court Cases Near

Religion Today | Updated: Mar 19, 2013

Support for Gay Marriage Grows as Supreme Court Cases Near

A new national poll reflects the continued cultural shift in attitudes toward gay marriage one week before it faces a monumental test at the Supreme Court, PBS reports. The Washington Post/ABC News survey released Monday found that 58 percent of Americans believe it should be legal for gay couples to get married. Thirty-six percent of respondents opposed making same-sex marriage legal. The survey "reflects a remarkable -- and remarkably fast -- turnabout in American public opinion one of the most emotionally raw and politically divisive issues of the past decade," according to the Washington Post. It also found a "broader shift in American attitudes about homosexuality. ... Two decades ago, fewer than half of all Americans said being gay was an identity people are born with, not a choice; today, a sizable majority, 62 percent, says so." Among certain demographic groups, the survey revealed dramatic splits on the issue: voters ages 18-29 support legalizing gay marriage 81 percent to 15 percent; non-white voters support legalizing gay marriage 61 to 32 percent; and college-educated whites support legalizing gay marriage 65 to 29 percent. All of these constituencies have favored Democrats in national elections.



Support for Gay Marriage Grows as Supreme Court Cases Near