A majority of Americans continue to support marriage equality.
According to a study commissioned by ABC, 51% of American voters say they’re in support of same sex marriages, slightly more than half for the fifth time straight in ABC polls since March of 2011. This is a sharp increase from mid-2004, when just 32 percent of voters were in favor of marriage equality.
47 percent of those surveyed said they were “opposed” to gay marriage. This is up from 39 percent in May, but for that survey, voters were asked whether gay marriage should be illegal. ABC interpreted the increase as because making something illegal is more punitive than opposing it personally.
Breaking the results down among liberal/conservative lines shows a stark divide on the marriage equality issue. 3 out of 4 liberals are in favor, along with 6 out of 10 Democrats and young adults.
Conversely, 81 percent of those who describe themselves as “very conservative,” and two-thirds of senior citizens oppose marriage equality.
