Support for Referendum 74, the
Washington state referendum on a gay marriage law, holds an 18-point
lead, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The poll was commissioned by KING 5 TV
in Seattle and conducted by SurveyUSA, which interviewed 700
Washington adults in person and by telephone.
Fifty-six percent of respondents said
they support keeping the law approved by legislators, while 38
percent disagree. Six percent said they were not sure.
Support has increased by six percentage
points from a similar poll conducted in July. And a 7-point lead has
widened to 18 points.
Support was highest among those under
34 (67%), but even a large share (43%) of seniors over 65 approve of
the law.
Support among Republicans and Tea Party
members was nearly even at 25 and 24 percent, respectively. A large
majority (80%) of Democrats and independents (55%) support marriage
equality.
Commenting on the poll, Seattle
weekly The
Stranger wrote:
“[T]his poll may mark a gay-rights trend much larger than
Washington State: This survey was conducted in the three days
following the Democratic National Convention, an event marked by the
country's political leaders delivering speeches embracing marriage
equality as the keystone of progressive (even mainstream) ideology;
the result may be a national climate shift that plays out to make
2012 the first year in US history that same-sex marriage is approved
at the ballot.”