A large majority of young people
support gay marriage.
According to a survey released by
pollster Gallup on Friday, 70 percent of adults under the age of 34
support giving gay and lesbian couples the right to marry.
The poll also found that a narrow
majority (53%) of Americans support marriage equality, a first for
the 15-year-old annual survey. Forty-five percent disagree, while
two percent don't know.
Support dropped to 39% among adults 55
and older.
While the poll found large increases in
support among Democrats (13%) and independents (10%), Republican
support for the institution remained unchanged at 28 percent from
last year.
“While big majorities of Democrats
and young people support the idea of legalizing same-sex marriage,
fewer than 4 in 10 Republicans and older Americans agree,” Gallup
said in releasing its findings. “Republicans in particular
seem fixed in their opinions; there was no change at all in their
support level this year, while independents' and Democrats' support
jumped by double-digit margins.”
An earlier poll conducted in the Roman
Catholic stronghold of Spain, where gay marriage was legalized in
2005, found
a super majority (77%) of teens in favor of gay marriage.