Support Rising For Gay Civil Unions in America

From Below the Beltway. I'm not sure myself whether I support gay marriage or not. But even that figure of 39% of Americans currently supporting it surprised me as being higher than I would have guessed. A new poll shows that the American public is increasingly accepting of civil unions, although support for gay marriage remains low: NEW YORK - An increasing majority of Americans favors allowing same-sex couples to obtain most of the same rights as married straight couples, but only 39 percent support legalization of same-sex marriage, according to a poll released Friday. The Pew Research Center said support for civil unions has risen to 57 percent, up from 54 percent a year ago and 45 percent when the question was first asked by Pew in 2003. Views on legalizing same-sex marriage remained almost unchanged from last year, with 53 percent opposed and 39 percent in favor, the center said. Supporters of same-sex marriage were divided over the best way to pursue legalization, according to the survey. Forty-five percent of them favored pushing hard to legalize it as soon as possible, while 42 percent said pushing too hard for swift legalization might trigger a backlash against gays and lesbians. There was more support for same-sex marriage among women, adults under 30 and college-educated people than there was among men, older adults and those who did not attend college. The demographic breakdown on the gay marriage question is, as always, interesting: Public opinion on this issue also varies according to age, sex, race and education. Most young people (ages 18-29) favor same-sex marriage (58%), while majorities in older age groups oppose it. Women are more likely than men to support same-sex marriage (43% vs. 34%), and whites and Hispanics are more supportive than blacks (39%, 45% and 26% respectively). Among those in the survey with a college education, a 49% plurality favors same-sex marriage, while half or more of those with less education oppose it. Most Southerners and Midwesterners oppose same-sex marriage (60% and 54% respectively). By contrast, people who reside in the West and the East are evenly divided on the issue (47% favor vs. 47% oppose in the West, 45% favor vs. 45% oppose in the East). In the end, this seems to me like a matter of time. Once that 18-29 cohort gets older and the next generation follows it, the number of people opposing gay marriage will slip into the minority.

Posted via email from Garth's posterous