Nat’l support for same-sex marriage growing: poll

A new poll published Thursday by the Pew Research Center found a record number of Americans support same-sex marriage that national support for gay nuptials continues to grow.

The survey found that 45 percent of Americans favor marriage rights for gay couples while 46 percent remain opposed. Support for marriage equality has grown since 2010, when 42 percent of responders favored same-sex marriage and 48 percent opposed it, and 2009, when 37 percent of Americans backed same-sex marriage and 54 percent were opposed.

The poll found a wide partisan division on the issue. Of the responders who identified as Democrats, 57 percent said they favor same-sex marriage, while only 23 percent of Republicans agreed. A majority of Independents — 51 percent — favored marriage equality.

Majorities of the public support same-sex marriage in the Northeast, where 59 percent of Americans favor same-sex marriage, and the West, where 56 percent support same-sex marriage. In many states in these regions, same-sex marriage is legal or efforts are underway to put marriage equality in place.

In contrast, support for same-sex marriage is lower in the Midwest, where 40 percent of Americans support marriage rights for gay couples, and in the South, where 34 percent support them.

The survey by the Pew Research Center was conducted for the People & the Press between Feb. 22 to March 1 among 1,504 adults.

(via Huffington Post)