A slim majority of voters living in
states where gay and lesbian couples are not allowed to marry support
gay marriage.
According to a survey of 800 registered
voters conducted in early December by the research firm Anzalone
Liszt Grove and paid for by Freedom
to Marry, 51 percent of respondents favor allowing gay couples to
marry, while 41 percent remain opposed.
“The findings of today's poll show
that support for the freedom to marry in America is not limited to
coastal states or politically liberal states, or even states that
have ended discrimination,” Evan Wolfson, founder and president of
Freedom to Marry, said in an emailed statement. “Instead,
Americans all across the country have opened their hearts and minds
and followed their values of fairness and freedom to move in support
of the freedom to marry. This accelerating nationwide support lines
up with the legal victories we've seen in more conservative states,
including Utah and Oklahoma, and explains why the reaction to these
court rulings was largely positive. America is ready for the freedom
to marry.”
Support is highest in the central
states of Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North
Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin, where
supporters outnumber opponents by a 23 point margin (59% support –
36% oppose). In the western states of Alaska, Arizona, Colorado,
Idaho, New Mexico, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming, 53
percent of voters support marriage equality, while 34 percent remain
opposed. In the South – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky – voters are
evenly split at 46 percent.
A majority of voters (56%), regardless
of their stance on the issue, believe it is likely that marriage
equality will be legal in their state in a couple of years.
And an overwhelming majority (78%)
believes marriage equality will have either a minimal impact
or a positive impact on them personally. Twenty-one percent believe
its legalization will have a negative impact on them personally.