A new survey finds record high support
for gay marriage in the United States.
According to a USA
Today poll of 1,003 adults conducted last week after the
Supreme Court released two decisions related to gay nuptials, 55
percent of respondents say such unions should be legal, while 40
percent remain opposed.
The pair of rulings paved the way for
same-sex marriages to resume in California and stuck down a law that
prohibited federal benefits for legally married gay couples.
“Neither one of those decisions is as
a legal matter a huge gay rights victory,” Tom Goldstein, publisher
of SCOTUSblog, told USA Today. “But it's the moral message
from the court that these unions are entitled to equal respect …
that is probably the lasting legacy of the decisions and is probably
going to play a significant role in public opinion.”
Majorities of Republicans (68%) and
seniors 65 and older (51%) remain opposed.
However, only a plurality of people
surveyed favor the high court's decision striking down part of the
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Forty-eight percent said that they
were in favor, while 43 said they were not.