{"id":24789,"date":"2013-03-29T12:34:24","date_gmt":"2013-03-29T17:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2013\/03\/29\/yes-more-americans-favor-legalizing-gay-marriage-but-just-how-many-do\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T00:03:39","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T05:03:39","slug":"yes-more-americans-favor-legalizing-gay-marriage-but-just-how-many-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2013\/03\/29\/yes-more-americans-favor-legalizing-gay-marriage-but-just-how-many-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Yes, More Americans Favor Legalizing Gay Marriage, But Just How Many Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Andrew Kohut<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Recent polling clearly shows that Americans are much more accepting of same-sex marriage than they were a decade ago. All of the major national polls now find more supporters than opponents of same-sex marriage. But there is no consensus in the polling as to just how many Americans now actually think that same-sex marriage should be legal.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

In the latest national surveys, all conducted this month, the percentages saying they favor legalizing same-sex marriage ranges from 49% in surveys by the Pew Research Center<\/a> and Fox News<\/a>, to 58% in a Washington Post<\/em>\/ABC News poll<\/a>. Over the past 10 years, the Washington Post<\/em>\/ABC News question has consistently found more support for gay marriage than the Pew Research question. Between these ends of the spectrum, the CBS News<\/a> and CNN\/ORC<\/a> polls find growing majorities favoring legalizing gay marriage.<\/p>\n\n

It is not obvious what accounts for the differences in responses to these questions. They are all fairly worded and offer respondents an equal chance to express support or opposition to same-sex marriage. However, the differences may have to do with the extent to which legalization is emphasized in the question. The Post<\/em>\/ABC News survey gets the highest positive response to a question that simply poses whether it should be legal or illegal for gay and lesbian couples to get married. Questions that ask respondents if they favor<\/em> or oppose<\/em> legalization (Pew Research, Fox) evoke markedly less support. And a recent Quinnipiac poll, which asks respondents whether they support or oppose same-sex marriage \u2013 with no mention of legalization \u2013 gets a very thin margin of support; in that survey, 47% support and 43% oppose same-sex marriage.<\/p>\n\n

In effect, it may be easier for a respondent to say legalize<\/em> gay marriage than to say I favor<\/em> legalizing it. That is at least one theory. However, perhaps the more important point is that while polling remains a fairly blunt instrument, it nonetheless can tell the story of an important social change that pundits and advocates might otherwise characterize in a self-serving way.<\/p>\n\n

Andrew Kohut<\/a> is the founding director of the Pew Research Center.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

More from Pew Research on Gay Marriage<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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