Most Republicans now support same-sex marriage, six years after Supreme Court ruling
A new Gallup poll also found record overall support for same-sex marriage, with 70% of American adults in favor
A majority of Republicans now support same-sex marriage, six years after the Supreme Court legalized marriage equality nationwide.
Gallup surveyed more than 1,000 Americans and found that overall support for gay couples marrying is at a record high, with 70% of adults in favor. It represents a dramatic change from Gallup’s first survey on same-sex marriage in 1996, when only 27% of adults supported the right to marry.
Since the Supreme Court’s landmark Obergefell ruling, support has continued to rise — at the time of the 2015 case, 60% of adults supported recognition of same-sex marriage, compared with 70% today.
This year’s poll also found that a majority of Republicans finally support same-sex marriage, with more than half (55%) of GOP-identified respondents saying they had a favorable attitude towards gay couples marrying.
Democrats have consistently supported the rights of gay couples to marry, Gallup noted, reaching majority support in the mid 2000s and continuing to rise from there.
In this year’s poll, 83% of Democrats supported recognition of same-sex marriages, a figure that has remained consistent over the last few years of the poll.
Gallup noted that support for marriage equality runs the gamut of ages, with particularly high support among young adults (84%). Almost three-quarters (72%) of middle-aged adults support same-sex marriage, while a clear majority (60%) of older adults are also now in favor.
“Once opponents of legalization, Republicans have mostly come to back it,” Gallup said. “Court and legislative challenges to the legal status of same-sex marriage have simmered down since the Supreme Court issued its decision.
“Meanwhile, older U.S. adults, who were once holdouts in support for gay marriage, now come down on the same side of the issue as young adults.
“Gallup’s trend illustrates that Americans’ views can shift in a relatively short time span, creating a new consensus — even as polarization on other measures intensifies.”
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