Almost simultaneously with the new Field poll showing Californians rejecting a state constitutional amendment to bar same-sex marriage, the Quinnipiac Polling Institute released a new national poll on attitudes toward same-sex marriage. Not surprisingly, the results were less supportive of equal marriage rights overall, although with a few interesting specifics.
36% say they support s/s marriage
44% say states should recognize s/s marriages from other states
49% would oppose a law in their states banning s/s marriage
56% oppose amending the US Constitution to ban s/s marriage
… in other words, a resounding majority for the status quo (although far more than 49% of Americans live in states that have already banned s/s marriage).
When given the choice of supporting marriage, civil unions or no recognition, 33% support civil unions; 32% marriage, and 29% no recognition. In other words, almost two-thirds of Americans support some formal legal status that recognizes same-sex couples.
The most striking similarity between the Field and Quinnipiac results is the mirror image that emerges from political party comparisons. In Californa, 63% of Democrats plan to vote to retain the right of s/s couples to marry, and 68% of Republicans plan to vote against it. Nationally, 62% of Democrats oppose a law in their state to ban s/s marriage, and 64% of Republicans support such a law.
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