A majority of Americans would support a
Supreme Court ruling striking down state bans on gay marriage.
The high court in April heard oral
arguments in a case challenging bans in Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan and
Kentucky. The case stems from the nation's first – and so far only
– federal appellate court ruling upholding such bans as
constitutional. A ruling, expected sometime this month, could strike
down the nation's remaining 13 bans, leading to nationwide marriage
equality.
According to a Quinnipiac
University telephone survey of 1,711 registered voters conduced
from May 19 to 26, 56 percent of respondents said that they would
support the Supreme Court finding that “same-sex couples have a
constitutional right to marry,” while 38 percent said that they
would oppose such a ruling.
While a majority of Republicans (62%)
were opposed to a potential decision, majorities of Democrats (70%)
and independents (61%) favored it.
Respondents also oppose state marriage
bans by a 53-40% margin.
When asked, “Do you support or oppose
requiring states to recognize same-sex marriages performed legally in
other states?” a majority (57%) of people polled answered that they
support such action.