Religion and Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage

Fintan · Feb 12, 2012

Religion and Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage
PewForum.org
07 February 2012

In a victory for supporters of gay marriage, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Feb. 7 that a 2008 California referendum banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. The appeals court, upholding an earlier district court decision, ruled that the voter-approved ban, known as Proposition 8, violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law. For now, same-sex couples who desire to marry in California may still not be able to do so, since the decision is likely to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The latest polling on the issue of same-sex marriage by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press (conducted in October 2011) finds that the public divides almost evenly: 46% favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, while 44% are opposed. The public has gradually become more supportive of granting legal recognition to same-sex marriages over the past 15 years, with support increasing more steeply in recent years. (For a more detailed analysis of trends in attitudes about same-sex marriage, see “The Generation Gap and the 2012 Election.”)

Among religious groups, white evangelical Protestants express the greatest opposition to same-sex marriage, with 74% saying they oppose allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally. A large majority of black Protestants also oppose same-sex marriage (62%). The views of these groups have not changed since 2010. Compared with evangelicals and black Protestants, white mainline Protestants are more supportive of same-sex marriage, with 54% saying they favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to get married.

Among Catholics as a whole, supporters of same-sex marriage now outnumber opponents (52% vs. 37%). In 2010, Catholics were more evenly divided on the issue, with 46% favoring same-sex marriage and 42% expressing opposition. A majority of white Catholics (57%) now express support for same-sex marriage, while Hispanic Catholics continue to be closely divided (42% favor same-sex marriage, 42% are opposed).

Compared with other groups, the religiously unaffiliated express the highest levels of support for same sex-marriage. More than seven-in-ten of the religiously unaffiliated say they favor making same-sex marriage legal (72%), compared with 20% who oppose same-sex marriage.
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seeksanctuary · Feb 13, 2012

"Don't know" is still better than "opposed". :] Good to see things starting to move in a more positive direction.

LdSlnce · Feb 13, 2012

Wow, this was a serious pick-me-up

steel03 · Feb 13, 2012

It's interesting that the only subset whose percentage for gay marriage has declined is White Evangelical. Thanks for that one, Bachmann and Perry.

Emberstone · Feb 13, 2012

steel03 said: ↑

It's interesting that the only subset whose percentage for gay marriage has declined is White Evangelical. Thanks for that one, Bachmann and Perry.
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dont forget santorum. he says he is a catholic, but he comes off more like the illigetamette son of pat robertson and satan.

RemyLeBeau · Feb 13, 2012

This gives me hope my Catholic family won't disown me.

Fintan · Feb 13, 2012

Yeah positive news indeed. Also, there are a number of "White mainline" protestant churches that already conduct Gay Marriages in States that have legalised the practice.

Strange to think that a handful of protestant churches are actually more progressive than secular politics.

steel03 · Feb 13, 2012

Emberstone said: ↑

steel03 said: ↑

It's interesting that the only subset whose percentage for gay marriage has declined is White Evangelical. Thanks for that one, Bachmann and Perry.
Click to expand...

dont forget santorum. he says he is a catholic, but he comes off more like the illigetamette son of pat robertson and satan.
Click to expand...

And why exactly should I not forget Santorum? I quite like forgetting about him. I get many fewer headaches when I forget about him.

EvangelinesLost · Feb 13, 2012

slowly--very slowly but surely people are starting to become more accepting, this is good! We are finally heading in the right direction (!)

Religion and Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage

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