Support for gay marriage among African
Americans in North Carolina has increased 7 percentage points since
President Barack Obama announced last week that he supports such
unions.
According to a Public Policy Polling
survey taken before the primary last week, only 20 percent of black
voters in the state favored gay marriage. Twenty-seven percent of
respondents to a poll taken this week said they approved of gay
nuptials. Opposition to marriage equality fell 4 points, from 63
percent to 59 percent.
When civil unions are included, the
increase is greater. Before the primary, 44 percent of African
Americans supported giving gay couples legal rights in the form of
either marriage or civil unions. Now 55 percent of blacks say they
support one of those unions.
President Obama made this public
announcement last Wednesday, the day after North Carolina voters
approved Amendment One, the constitutional amendment which bans the
state from recognizing gay couples with marriage, civil unions and
possibly domestic partnerships.
“Obama's words looks to be having an
impact,” Tom Jensen wrote in
a blog post publishing the poll's findings.