POLLAGE: Paul Brewer

Clyde Wilcox and I have written a Public Opinion Quarterly article that summarizes results from a wide range of polls on gay marriage and civil unions. It won't appear until late this year or early next year, however, so here's a preview:

First, a majority of Americans consistently report seeing same-sex marriage as undermining the traditional American family or clashing with their own religious beliefs.

Second, a substantial proportion of the public has followed the issue as of late, with the level of attention rising and falling in tandem with key events.

Third, a majority of citizens have opposed recognizing same sex marriage from the early 1990s to the present; here, there is no sign of a dramatic trend toward greater support and some evidence of at least one ephemeral backlash.

Fourth, the public has been more supportive of civil unions than of same-sex marriage, with support for such unions apparently increasing from 2000 to 2004 with at least one interruption. Support for civil unions is higher when respondents are primed to consider same-sex marriage in an earlier question in the interview.

Fifth, the proportion of Americans who support at least some legal recognition of same-sex couples now exceeds the proportion of Americans who favor no recognition.

Sixth, majorities have consistently supported inheritance rights, Social Security benefits, and health insurance benefits for gay spouses.

Seventh, a sizable proportion of the public has offered steady support for amending the constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a women, but in most formulations this proportion constitutes either a slim majority or a roughly even split rather than a clear consensus.

Finally, many, and perhaps most, Americans did not seem to view same-sex marriage as a particularly important campaign issue in 2004.

For other recent efforts at summarizing trends in public opinion about same-sex marriage and civil unions, see this report (PDF) from the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy and this report from the American Enterprise Institute.

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posted by Eve at 11:45 PM VOTE

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