Gallup Poll finds majority of Americans support gay marriage

But sharp divides remain among those surveyed

Support for gay marriage in the United States has held steady since the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), according to a Gallup Poll issued on July 29.

A narrow majority of Americans, 52 percent, said that if a referendum on gay marriage in all 50 states were held in November, they would vote yes. Only 43 percent said they would vote no.

“This adds to the body of evidence in Gallup trends that public opinion on gay marriage has reached a tipping point, whereby the majority now clearly supports it,” the report notes.

Gallup’s polling shows public support for gay marriage rose to over 50 percent in 2011 and has remained the same since.

The poll also shows sharp divides in the American public, according to self-reported identity. A full 77 percent of “liberals” and 70 percent of “Democrats” would vote in favour of gay marriage, but only 43 percent of people from the South and 23 percent of people who attend church weekly would agree.

The survey sampled 2,027 people over the age of 18 in all 50 states. The margin of error was ±3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Niko Bell

Niko Bell is a writer, editor and translator from Vancouver. He writes about sexual health, science, food and language.

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