FOR RELEASE JUNE 6, 2013

Changing Attitudes on Same Sex Marriage, Gay Friends and Family

As support for gay marriage continues to grow, 72% of Americans say that legal recognition of same-sex marriage is “inevitable.” This includes 85% of gay marriage supporters, as well as 59% of its opponents. The new survey by the Pew Research Center finds that, for the first time, just over half (51%) the public favors […]

FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES:

Communications Department
202.419.4372
www.pewresearch.org

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Pew Research Center, June 2013, "Changing Attitudes on Same Sex Marriage, Gay Friends and Family"

About Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research. It studies politics and policy; news habits and media; the internet and technology; religion; race and ethnicity; international affairs; social, demographic and economic trends; science; research methodology and data science; and immigration and migration. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.

© Pew Research Center 2026

Table of contents

Changing Attitudes on Same Sex Marriage, Gay Friends and Family

As support for gay marriage continues to grow, 72% of Americans say that legal recognition of same-sex marriage is “inevitable.” This includes 85% of gay marriage supporters, as well as 59% of its opponents. The new survey by the Pew Research Center finds that, for the first time, just over half (51%) the public favors […]

As support for gay marriage continues to grow, 72% of Americans say that legal recognition of same-sex marriage is “inevitable.” This includes 85% of gay marriage supporters, as well as 59% of its opponents. The new survey by the Pew Research Center finds that, for the first time, just over half (51%) the public favors same-sex marriage, while 42% are opposed. Since the early 1990s, the number of people who know gays or lesbians has risen dramatically, and having a gay acquaintance is associated with support for gay marriage. Yet opposition to gay marriage remains substantial, and religious beliefs are a major factor in opposition. For instance, those who view homosexual behavior as a sin – 45% of the public – overwhelmingly oppose gay marriage, as do those who see a major conflict between homosexuality and their own religious beliefs.

PP_13.06.06_gayMarriage-Info

More from the Pew Research Series: LGBT in Changing Times