Opposition to allowing gay and lesbian
couples to marry has hit an all-time low in New Jersey.
According to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll of
799 registered voters released last week, 61 percent support
gay marriage, while 27 percent remain opposed, the lowest the
Rutgers-Eagleton Poll has measured since 2003.
“Beliefs about same-sex marriage have
shifted rapidly,” David Redlawsk, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton
Poll and a professor of political science at Rutgers University, said
in releasing the poll's findings. “Fully one-quarter of
today's supporters tell us they were previously opposed.”
The survey comes a week after Governor
Christ Christie withdrew a state Supreme Court appeal to a lower
court's decision ordering the state to begin issuing marriage
licenses to gay couples as of October 21.
Pollsters also found that a large
majority (59%) of respondents agree with the ruling and a majority
(53%) said that the state should accept the ruling and not appeal it.
“Not long ago, a ruling like this
would have created a significant backlash,” Redlawsk said. “Now
most voters agree with it.”