Poll: 65 percent of Democrats support gay marriage

[struggle4progress]

By David Crary
AP National Writer / July 31, 2012

NEW YORK—The partisan gap over same-sex marriage continues to widen, with 65 percent of Democrats now supporting it compared to 24 percent of Republicans, according to poll released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center.

The poll found an increase in support among Democrats since President Barack Obama announced in May that he favors same-sex marriage. In April, a Pew poll gauged support among Democrats at 59 percent.

The latest poll, conducted jointly by the Pew's Forum on Religion and Public Life and its Center for the People and the Press, was released a day after Democratic Party leaders said they intended to add support for gay marriage to the party platform at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., in early September.

At the time of the last convention, in 2008, 50 percent of Democrats favored allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, while 42 percent were opposed. In the new poll, only 29 percent of Democrats were opposed ...

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2012/07/31/poll_65_percent_of_democrats_support_gay_marriage/

[Kalidurga]

1. Good news the scales of fear are falling off of peoples eyes...

I think it is unfortunate though that Republicans are still living in fear.

[Le Taz Hot]

2. ONLY 65%

Why in hell isn't that higher?

[Mnemosyne]

3. My first thought also, wth?

Barely over half!

Things sure do change...

[pnwmom]

6. Between 2008 and 2012, from about half to two-thirds.

That's a large increase in only four years, and Obama gets some of the credit.

(Democratic support was at 59% in a poll before Obama took his stand.)

[Mnemosyne]

9. I am pleased it's gone up, just never imagined so many D's don't approve.

Mind-boggling.

[pnwmom]

11. Why would you be surprised? It's never been approved by voters in any state.

And the alternative of civil partnerships exists, which many supported as an alternative.

Hopefully, all this will change this fall, when Washington state and two other states vote on gay marriage. Things look good in WA state at least. (And Beezos of Amazon just threw 2.5 million into the pot.)

[pnwmom]

5. That's a big increase from four years ago. n/t

[stevenleser]

10. Yes, very disappointing. I would not have guessed it would be so low.

[RZM]

12. I don't think it's all that surprising

It's hard to get more than 65 percent of people to support anything.

I was curious what the Republican numbers were and found that 'only' 75 percent of them oppose same-sex marriage. That's high, but given that virtually every Republican politician opposes it, it's interesting that 1 in 4 Republicans support it anyway.

[MrSlayer]

4. +15% in four years. Not bad.

65% might seem low but let's remember where it was 10 years ago.

[Scuba]

7. Poll: 35% of Democrats support denying civil rights to gays.

They should be ashamed.

[Johonny]

13. that might be an over reading of the poll

the 35 % probably have a lot of people like the current president use to and the former president that support "civil unions" instead of gay marriage. I doubt people understand the subtle legal reasons in many states that make civil unions not that great an alternative and not an equal alternative. I doubt the current president thinks he was 4 years ago running on denying civil rights to game couples by using the political dodge of "civil unions". Without a more broken down poll it is hard to know where these people are and how willing they'd be to equal rights had this issue been described in that language. Then again, I think a large chunk of the gain from 4 year ago to today is converting civil unions language people to gay marriage language people.

[B Calm]

8. We are slowly getting there.