A new poll shows opposition to gay
marriage plummeted 6 points from last year's survey, leaving fewer
than half of those polled in opposition to its legalization.
The survey, which was conducted from
July to September and was released
Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, found that forty-two
percent of Americans say they favor gay marriage, while 48 percent
oppose it. In 2009, 54 percent of respondents opposed, while 37
favored, legalizing the institution.
Also for the first time, majorities in
two religious groups – white mainline Protestants and white
Catholics – favor gay marriage. Fifty-three percent of Democrats
support its legalization, while just 24 percent of Republicans do.
“The shift in opinion on same-sex
marriage has been broad-based, occurring across many demographic,
political and religious groups,” the poll's authors wrote.
Two other nationwide polls this year
have found a narrow majority of Americans in support of gay marriage.
Fifty-two
percent of respondents to an AP poll released last month support its
legalization, while a CNN poll released in August also turned up
a slim majority in favor (50.5%).