(01/28/10) -

Americans Would Like Supreme Court to Uphold Proposition 8

Most people want marriage to be defined federally as a union between a man and a woman, and not between two people regardless of gender.

Most people want marriage to be defined federally as a union between a man and a woman, and not between two people regardless of gender.

As a District Court in the United States reviews the validity of a ballot vote that restored the definition of marriage in California as a heterosexual union, most Americans predict that an eventual Supreme Court ruling on the matter will uphold this view, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In November 2008, Californians voted in favor of Proposition 8, which overturned a California Supreme Court ruling stating that couples of the same sex have the right to marry. A U.S. District Court is currently studying the constitutional validity of Proposition 8, which effectively restored the definition of marriage in California. The case could eventually be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,000 American adults, 52 per cent of respondents say that, if the Supreme Court reviews the Proposition 8 case, they expect the judges to rule that marriage is between a man and a woman. Only 28 per cent of Americans think the U.S. Supreme Court will define marriage federally as a union between two people, regardless of gender.

A majority of Americans (58%) would prefer Supreme Court judges to rule that marriage is heterosexual only, while 34 per cent would like a federal definition of marriage without gender limitations.

Views on Same-Sex Unions

Americans remain divided on the issue of same-sex marriage. A third of respondents (34%) think couples of the same gender should be allowed to marry, while 26 per cent say they should only be allowed to form civil unions. Three-in-ten people (31%) believe that gay and lesbian couples should have no legal recognition. There has been little change in this question since an Angus Reid survey conducted in August 2009.

If a referendum on the matter took place in their own state, 58 per cent of respondents would vote in favor of defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Only a third (34%) would vote to define marriage as between two people, regardless of gender.

Breakdowns

Women (37%) and respondents aged 18 to 34 (45%) are more likely to express support for the right of same-sex couples to marry than men (30%) and older respondents (27% to 30%).

Also, women (35%) are only slightly more prone than men (32%) to prefer an eventual Supreme Court ruling favoring marriages between two people regardless of gender. Americans aged 18 to 34 (41%) are also much more likely to want this than those aged 35-54 (32%) and those aged 55 and older (28%).

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs
+604 647 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com