Gay marriage, one year later
by Karlyn Bowman,Heather Sims
A year has passed since the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage with its close 5-4 ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges. Have attitudes toward gay marriage changed since then? Where does opinion on the issue currently stand?
Depending on the survey, support appears steady or inching up. In the latest Gallup survey from May, 61 percent answered that marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid with the same rights as traditional marriages, up 1 point since the spring of 2015. Opposition remains unchanged at 37 percent. In a new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), 62 percent favored allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally while 36 percent were opposed. The responses from July 2015 were 52 and 40 percent, respectively. In the Pew Research Center’s March 2016 survey, 56 percent favored allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally; the same percentage gave that response in May 2015. Opposition declined two points from 39 to 37 percent.
Almost all of the national change in views about same-sex marriage appears to have taken place before the Supreme Court’s decision.
Although polling on this issue has emphasized growing acceptance of gay marriage, recent polls also reveal a sizable group that remains opposed. In surveys since the Court’s ruling, between 34 and 40 percent express this opinion. As noted above, in their most recent surveys Gallup registered opposition at 37 percent, PRRI at 36 percent, and Pew at 37 percent. In other questions asked after the Court’s ruling, a comparable percentage expressed opposition to other aspects of the issue. In July 2015, for example, ABC News/Washington Postpollsters asked people whether they supported or opposed the Court’s decision. Thirty-five percent opposed it strongly, and another 10 percent said they opposed it somewhat. In May this year, 37 percent told Gallup pollsters gay and lesbian relations were not morally acceptable. Sixty percent said they were.
Young people tend to lead change, and they have long been—and still are—gay marriage’s most supportive age group. In Gallup’s May 2016 poll, 83 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds said same-sex marriages should be valid. But the opinions of older generations have also shown considerable movement. In the same poll, for the first time in Gallup’s polling on gay marriage, a majority (53 percent) of seniors ages 65 and older said same-sex marriages should be valid, up 7 points from last year. Since Gallup first asked about the issue in 1996, the youngest age cohort has moved the most, 42 points, in support for legalization of same-sex marriage. But the oldest cohort has moved almost as much, 39 points. Young people led the way as Americans changed their minds about gay marriage, but older generations are catching up.
Although polling on this issue has emphasized growing acceptance of gay marriage, recent polls also reveal a sizable group that remains opposed. In surveys since the Court’s ruling, between 34 and 40 percent express this opinion. As noted above, in their most recent surveys Gallup registered opposition at 37 percent, PRRI at 36 percent, and Pew at 37 percent. In other questions asked after the Court’s ruling, a comparable percentage expressed opposition to other aspects of the issue. In July 2015, for example, ABC News/Washington Postpollsters asked people whether they supported or opposed the Court’s decision. Thirty-five percent opposed it strongly, and another 10 percent said they opposed it somewhat. In May this year, 37 percent told Gallup pollsters gay and lesbian relations were not morally acceptable. Sixty percent said they were.
Young people tend to lead change, and they have long been—and still are—gay marriage’s most supportive age group. In Gallup’s May 2016 poll, 83 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds said same-sex marriages should be valid. But the opinions of older generations have also shown considerable movement. In the same poll, for the first time in Gallup’s polling on gay marriage, a majority (53 percent) of seniors ages 65 and older said same-sex marriages should be valid, up 7 points from last year. Since Gallup first asked about the issue in 1996, the youngest age cohort has moved the most, 42 points, in support for legalization of same-sex marriage. But the oldest cohort has moved almost as much, 39 points. Young people led the way as Americans changed their minds about gay marriage, but older generations are catching up.
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