A majority of voters don't care where a
candidate stands on the issue of gay marriage. But of those who do
care, more say supporting marriage equality is more likely to
influence their vote.
According to an NBC/Wall Street
Journal poll released on Monday (as reported by
ThinkProgress.com),
support for legalizing gay nuptials has grown 8 percentage points
since the poll's October 2009 survey. Nearly half of respondents
(49%) said they favor legalizing gay marriage, while 40 percent said
they oppose it. The number of respondents who said they “strongly
oppose” such unions has dropped 20 points since 2004, when 62
percent said they opposed gay marriage and 51 percent said they
“strongly oppose” such unions.
A majority (54%) said a candidate's
position on the issue would not influence their vote. However, of
those who said it was important, 25 percent said they were more
likely to vote for a supporter of gay marriage, while 20 percent said
they were more likely to vote for an opponent of the institution.
Pollsters contacted 800 adults
nationwide from Wednesday through Saturday. Voters in 10 states head
to the polls on Tuesday.