A new poll released Tuesday shows 70
percent of Americans approve of same-sex marriage.
For the first time since Gallup began
polling on the issue, a majority of Republicans (55%) support
marriage equality. The latest uptick in support is mostly driven by
changes in Republicans' views.
The Supreme Court in Obergefell v.
Hodges found that gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional
right to marry, striking down state laws and constitutional
amendments limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. Prior to the
2015 decision, gay couples could marry in 37 states and the District
of Columbia.
“By the time of the Supreme Court's
Obergefell v. Hodges decision in 2015, support for gay
marriage had reached 60%,” Gallup
said in releasing its poll. “Since then, the issue has been
less prominent in U.S. politics, and public support for same-sex
marriage has continued to increase.”
Only 16 percent of Republicans
supported same-sex marriage in 1997, the first year Gallup asked the
question. In 2019, the percentage of Republicans in support was 44.
Support among Democrats and
Independents has largely remained flat over the last three years,
with 83 percent of Democrats in support and 73 percent of
Independents, up from 71 percent in 2019.