A narrow majority of Americans support
gay marriage, a poll released Monday found.
According to The New York Times/CBS
News poll conducted between September 8-12, 51 percent of respondents
believe gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry, while 41
percent disagree. Seven percent did not answer.
Support
has increased 5 percentage points since July, when 46 percent
said such unions should be legal and 44 percent said they should be
illegal.
It is the first nationwide poll to ask
the question since Republicans and Democrats held their conventions.
A GOP party platform ratified on August
28 supports amending the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage, while
the Democratic platform ratified on September 5 supports gay nuptials
for the first time.
Many Democratic speakers at the 2012
Democratic National Convention (DNC), including President Barack
Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, made mention of their support
for marriage equality, while Mitt Romney told RNC delegates that he
would “honor the institution of marriage,” a reference to his
opposition to such unions.