Support for gay marriage in
Massachusetts, the first state to legalize such unions, has increased
in the last 3 months.
According to a Public
Polling Policy (PPP) survey of 902 voters conducted between June
22 and 24, support for gay nuptials has increased 4 percentage points
since March.
Sixty-two percent of voters now say
they support equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples, while
30 percent believe it should be illegal. That is an increase in
support of 4 points in three months, and a 1 point decrease in
opposition.
Only 11 percent of voters in
Massachusetts think there should be no legal recognition of a gay
couple's relationship.
A majority (84%) of respondents said
that the legalization of gay marriage has had no impact (64%) or a
positive impact (20%) on their lives. Sixteen-percent said the law
has impacted their lives negatively.
On May 17, Massachusetts'
gay marriage law celebrated its 8th
anniversary. According to the group MassEquality, 18,462 gay
couples have wed in the state since the took effect in 2004.