Utahns are evenly divided on the issue
of gay marriage, a significant change over the past decade.
According to a poll conducted by
SurveyUSA for the Salt Lake Tribune, 48 percent of respondents
support allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, while 48 percent
remain opposed.
In 2004, a large majority (66%) of Utah
voters approved Amendment 3, the state's constitutional amendment
which defines marriage as a heterosexual union. Last month, a
federal judge declared the amendment unconstitutional. The state has
appealed the ruling and a decision is expected in the summer.
“I think that's true. I think people
are changing,” Dave Moore, a marriage equality supporter, told
KUTV.
“Gay people just have the right to be happy.”
When asked about alternate forms of
recognition, including civil unions and domestic partnerships,
support increased to 72 percent. Even a large majority (65%) of
Mormons support civil unions for gay couples.
Support for marriage equality is
strongest among those under age 50 (50%), Democrats (81%) and
non-Mormons (76%).