A narrow majority of Americans support allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, a new AP poll released Monday found.
A question on the poll asked, â┚¬Å”Should the Federal Government give legal recognition to marriages between couples of the same sex, or not?â┚¬Â 52 percent of respondents answered â┚¬Å”yesâ┚¬Â and 46 percent responded â┚¬Å”no.â┚¬ÂÂ
A CNN survey released last month asked about gay marriage with two different questions, but only a slim majority (50.5%) of respondents said they support the institution. It was the first nationwide survey with a majority favoring marriage equality.
â┚¬Å”For the second time, a national poll shows that a majority of Americans support the freedom to marry, reflecting the growing momentum of the marriage movement and a growing awareness in America of who gay people are and why marriage matters to same-sex couples and their families,â┚¬Â Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, said in a statement.
According to OnTopMag.com, a nationwide telephone poll of 1,007 adults also found that 58 percent of respondents agree that gay and lesbian couples should be entitled to the same government benefits as married couples of the opposite sex, a 7 point increase from 2008.
The poll also showed that a large majority (62%) of those surveyed believe the â┚¬Å”rights of everyone should be protected, even when that means saying no to something the majority of people want to happen.â┚¬ÂÂ
