Study Discounts Prop. 8 Advertising

People who oppose or support gay marriage before an election will continue to hold their viewpoints despite millions of dollars spent on advertising, according to a new study, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The study, conducted by New York University, looked at trends from 1998 until the present and evaluated the change of voter opinions in relation to campaign spending. Findings from the study may change the way people on both sides of the issue campaign for support.

"It's not that we can't move people," said Geoff Kors, executive director of the gay rights group Equality California. "We just have to move them before with an effective education campaign."

Gay marriage opponents discounted the study, saying gay marriage supporters may choose to believe the results because they were on the losing side of the Proposition 8 vote after lagging in fund-raising. The proposition rescinded equal marriage rights in California.