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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
A Third of Americans Back Same-Sex Marriage
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in the United States believe marriage should be exclusive to heterosexual couples, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News. 55 per cent of respondents oppose allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally.
During the January 2004 State of the Union address, United States president George W. Bush said, "Activist judges (...) have begun redefining marriage by court order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives."
In 2004, marriage certificates were issued to same-sex couples by local governments in the states of California, Oregon, New Mexico and New York. In May 2004, the state of Massachusetts allowed gay and lesbian partners to apply for marriage licenses, the first state-sanctioned homosexual weddings in the U.S.
Civil unions—currently available in the states of Vermont and Connecticut—give same-sex partners the same legal rights of married couples such as inheritance, insurance and hospital visiting privileges. A California law grants domestic partners the same legal rights of married couples, with the exception of filing joint income tax returns.
Over the past two years, 19 American states have enacted amendments to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. Seven more will hold votes on the matter this year.
Earlier this month, Democratic Wisconsin senator Russ Feingold said he is opposed to a ban on same-sex marriage, declaring, "I will be voting against the harsh amendment that's been proposed in Wisconsin, and I thought it was an appropriate occasion to indicate my feeling that if two people care enough about each other to get married, that it probably is a positive thing for society."
Polling Data
Do you favour or oppose allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally?
Favour | 33% |
Oppose | 55% |
Not sure | 11% |
Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on Apr. 4 and Apr. 5, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.