Public opn about gay rights has shifted enormoly the Uned Stat over the past few s. What are some of the factors that have led to this historic change attus?
Contents:
- GROWG SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE: CHANGED MDS AND CHANGG DEMOGRAPHICS
- SHOULD GAY MARRIAGE BE LEGAL?
- HIDN BRA: AMERI'S CHANGG ATTUS TOWARD GAY PEOPLE
- LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE THK GAY SEX IS IMMORAL
GROWG SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE: CHANGED MDS AND CHANGG DEMOGRAPHICS
Proponents ntend that gay marriage bans are discrimatory and unnstutnal, opponents ague that marriage is primarily for procreatn. * peoples thoughts on gay marriage *
For stance, 45% of adults the Silent Generatn (those born between 1928 and 1945) favor allowg gays and lbians to wed, pared wh 74% of Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996).
4As wh the general public, Amerins who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr (LGBT) are most likely to ce love as a very important reason for gettg married.
Sce then, several other European untri – cludg England and Wal, France, Ireland, all of Sndavia, Spa and, most recently, Atria, Germany and Malta – have legalized gay marriage. Among olr horts, Boomers (ag 51 to 69) are currently divid (45% favor, 48% oppose), while Silents (ag 70-87) are the only generatn which signifintly more oppose (53%) than favor (39%) gay marriage. Currently, 45% of Gen X Republins and Republin leaners favor allowg gays and lbians to marry legally, roughly double the percentage as 2005 (23%).
SHOULD GAY MARRIAGE BE LEGAL?
This gap has narrowed somewhat om a ago, when 69% of liberal Democrats backed gay marriage, pared wh only about a third (32%) of the party’s nservativ and morat. The share of blacks who support gay marriage has not changed signifintly sce 2012: 41% favor same-sex marriage today, while 51% oppose ; 2012, 40% favored while 48% opposed. That is ltle changed om recent years, but ne years ago Hispanics were divid; 45% favored gay marriage while about as many (48%) were opposed.
And adults who do not intify wh an anized relign – whose ranks are growg – are more likely than those who affiliate wh a relign to support gay marriage. And while support among whe evangelil Prottants has creased 13 pots (om 14% to 27%), whe evangelils oppose gay marriage by far greater than two-to-one. While that is ltle changed om 2013, a greater share of the public expects gay marriage to be legally regnized today than did so a 2004 survey by the L.
A new natnal survey fds that much of the shift is attributable to the arrival of a large hort of young adults – the Millennial generatn – who are far more open to gay rights than prev generatns. Equally important, however, is that 14% of all Amerins – and 28% of gay marriage supporters – say they have changed their mds on this issue favor of gay marriage.
HIDN BRA: AMERI'S CHANGG ATTUS TOWARD GAY PEOPLE
In 2003, as the bate over same-sex marriage tensified and Massachetts beme the first state to allow same-sex marriage, a 56% majory of Amerins felt that allowg gays and lbians to marry would unrme the tradnal Amerin fay, while 39% disagreed. Other trends have shown siar movement sce 2003: The percentage sayg same-sex upl n be as good parents as heterosexual upl has risen 10 pots (to 64%) and there has been a parable crease the percentage sayg that general homosexualy should be accepted, rather than disuraged, by society. Even among those who oppose allowg gays and lbians to marry legally, a third (33%) say that same-sex upl should have the same legal rights as other upl.
The partisan and mographic differenc opns about societal acceptance of homosexualy are mirrored attus related to same-sex marriage, cludg whether would nflict wh people’s relig beliefs and unrme the tradnal fay. Generatnal differenc about homosexualy largely mirror attus about same-sex marriage, wh about three-quarters of Millennials (75%) and 62% of Gen Xers now sayg homosexualy should be accepted.
While about two-thirds of both Democrats (66%) and pennts (65%) now say homosexualy should be accepted, reflectg signifint shifts towards greater acceptance among the groups, Republin attus are largely unchanged om 2003 (38% of Republins say homosexualy should be accepted, 54% say should be disuraged). Notably, whe male Prottants are the only relig group that has changed substantially on this qutn: In 2003 a 58% majory said gay marriage would go agast their relig beliefs; jt 44% say this today.
LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE THK GAY SEX IS IMMORAL
And the growth support for same-sex marriage among male Prottants over this time is also substantial: Today 55% favor allowg gays and lbians to marry, up om 36% 10 years ago. In 2003, a 56% majory of Amerins agreed wh the statement: “allowg gays and lbians to legally marry would unrme the tradnal Amerin fay;” today 46% say this.
As wh other attus about LGBT (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr) people, younger generatns rema substantially more acceptg—and have grown more so over time. Although majori across all tnal groups say gay and lbian upl should be entled to the same rights, support for this posn creas wh tn: 76% of llege graduat agree wh the statement, pared wh 69% of those wh some llege experience and 58% of those who have not attend llege.