Super Majority Of New Jersey Voters Support Gay Unions

A super majority of New Jersey voters support gay unions, a new poll has found.

The Public Policy Polling survey found a whopping 81 percent of New Jersey voters support marriage or civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, and more respondents support marriage equality than do not.

Forty-seven percent of those contacted said they believe gay marriage should be legal, while forty-two percent disagreed. Eleven percent said they did not know.

Four-hundred-eighty voters were surveyed, and the poll has a margin of error of 4.5 percent.

New Jersey is among the five states that recognize gay couples with civil unions. Hawaii, Illinois, Delaware and, most recently, Rhode Island have also legalized civil unions. But only New Jersey was forced to act by a court order.

The inequality of civil unions is more than name deep, activists argue. Private companies often won't recognize a civil union for the purpose of benefits as equal to marriage. And while married gay couples continue to work toward federal recognition, a win would most likely not include civil unions.

Last year, New Jersey lawmakers rejected a bill that would have legalized gay marriage in the state. Proponents say they are working on building a bipartisan veto-proof majority in the Legislature to head off a threatened veto from Governor Chris Christie before making a second attempt, and have filed a new legal challenge, as well.

(Related: New Jersey looks on as New York gay marriages begin.)