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06/14/08-06/16/08

Pew Research Center Releases New Gay Marriage Findings

Pew Research Center Releases New Gay Marriage Findings

The Pew Research Center released new findings last week in a study gauging the importance of gay marriage as a voting issue among Americans. These findings were compared to opinions collected before the last election in 2004 and again in 2007.

According to the study, gay marriage is going to be a hot-button issue at the polls come November. Interest in gay marriage as a voting issue has increased across the board from October 2007 to May 2008, when the study was conducted, soon after the California supreme court overturned the state’s ban on gay marriage.

In the past year, there has been a particular revival of interest in gay marriage among conservative political parties and religious groups. The study reported that the majority of the increase was found among Republicans (up 14% from 2007), Catholics (up 11% from 2007), and white evangelical Protestants (up 10% from 2007).

While interest in gay marriage has risen in all voting groups, strong opponents of gay marriage are far more likely to consider it an important voting issue than those who strongly favor gay marriage. According to the Pew study, 55% of gay marriage opponents call the issue “very important,” while only 29% of supporters consider it an important voting issue.

The study also provided a comparison of opinions among registered voters from the last election: 46% of those who voted for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 favored gay marriage; 51% of Sen. Barack Obama’s supporters favor gay marriage this year. Opposition among Republican voters has seen a slight decrease since 2004, when 75% of President Bush’s supporters opposed gay marriage, compared to 68% of Sen. John McCain’s supporters in 2008.

The Pew study also marked a decline in opposition toward gay marriage among women, college graduates, and senior citizens. Opposition among women has dropped from 56% in 2004 to 46% in 2008. While 46% of college graduates opposed gay marriage in 2004, only 38% oppose it now. Opposition among senior citizens (ages 65 and up) has dropped 10% since 2004, from 68% to 58%.

According to the study, civil unions prove to be much more popular than gay marriage. While 38% of Americans support full marriage equality, 51% favor civil unions, which give gay couples some the same rights as heterosexual married couples. (The Advocate)

Keywords:  california marriage  marriage 
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Reader Comments

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  • Name: Dallas
    Date posted: 2008-06-17 9:05 AM
    Hometown: atlanta

    Comment:

    the reason that a smaller percentage of gay marriage supporters feel it is an important voting issue is because it is NOT a voting issue the person to my right and my left can marry who they love but I can not? why? because there are more straight people than there our gay our rights our not meant to be voted on the founding beliefs of this country are that all are created equal not the majority and we have freedom i do not choose to be gay but i choose to accept it and live true to who i am so all these bible thumpers need to get off their high horse and worry about their own family and not mine preventing same sex marriage does not prevent people from being gay and it doesnt make us hide either we are here and those of us who stand up and say it are at least honest and not trying to hide who we really are which is more than can be said for all these politicians who are up there preaching against us


  • Name: Chris Sullivan
    Date posted: 2008-06-16 5:50 PM
    Hometown: Chicago, IL

    Comment:

    Oh, and by the way... F*CK Joe Lieberman!


  • Name: Chris Sullivan
    Date posted: 2008-06-16 5:48 PM
    Hometown: Chicago, IL

    Comment:

    Yes, more than EVER, we MUST elect a Democratic President to protect our rites. Heir Bush has done all he can possibly do to thwart those rites and attempt to diminish our participation as full and equal Americans. This general election, I don't want to hear a DAMNED THING from any "Gay Republicans" (what's next "Jews for Hitler"?) Those queens are more concerned about the Almighty Buck than any useful progress for gay rites! The time to mobilize is NOW! Make no mistake, this will NOT be an easily won election!


  • Name: Bill
    Date posted: 2008-06-16 3:39 PM
    Hometown: Upland, CA

    Comment:

    The issue won't go away easily. . . .but it will eventually "go away". The biggest salvo is going to be the realization of the economic benefits of the pro-marriage stance. As always, it will ultimately become a financial issue, just as it did for the anti-temperance movement during the waning days of prohibition in the very early 1930's. The federal government found out it could regulate and tax liquor. Bingo! A source of revenue. That's all it takes.


  • Name: JP
    Date posted: 2008-06-15 10:29 PM
    Hometown: Oakland

    Comment:

    I believe the issue is of greater importance this year to those who support gay marriage than what the polls even show. This has become a question more and more of equal rights. The bigotry of the far right has become flagrant and I believe the mobilization against their agenda will be more forceful this year.


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