According to a Fox News poll released
Friday, a plurality of Americans support gay marriage.
Pollsters found that 49 percent of
voters favor marriage equality, while 46 percent remain opposed.
That is a 17 percentage point increase since 2003, when 58 percent
said they were opposed.
Support among young people under 35 has
increased from 53 percent to 62 percent over the past decade,
according
to the poll.
Those most likely to oppose such unions
include “very” conservatives (82%), Tea Partiers (75%), white
evangelical Christians (70%) and Republicans (64%).
A majority (53%) of respondents believe
that the U.S. Constitution guarantees gay men and lesbians the right
to marry, while 43 percent disagree.
Pollsters also found that a large
majority (59%) of opponents think all or most states will allow
same-sex marriages within 20 years.
The poll also found that supporters are
more accepting than opponents of those who disagree with them on the
issue. A large majority (over 75%) of supporters believe that
opponents have a right to their views, while just over half of
opponents feel the same about supporters.