August 06, 2003

Abstract: (CPOD) Aug. 6, 2003 - Support for homosexual marriages in Canada appears to be affected by religion, according to a poll by Environics Research. 56 per cent of Catholic respondents agree with offering gay and lesbian partners the same legal rights as married couples, while 58 per cent of Protestants disagree.

(CPOD) Aug. 6, 2003 - Support for homosexual marriages in Canada appears to be affected by religion, according to a poll by Environics Research. 56 per cent of Catholic respondents agree with offering gay and lesbian partners the same legal rights as married couples, while 58 per cent of Protestants disagree.

The Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia have allowed homosexual marriage after separate court rulings. Parliament is expected to finalize legislation that would enable same-sex couples all across the country to legally wed. Regardless of religion, 53 per cent of all respondents support gay and lesbian unions.

The Vatican recently expressed concern over these recent developments, through a document titled "Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons."

Polling Data

Do you support or oppose same-sex marriages in Canada?

	Support	Oppose
All Canadians	53%	43%
Catholics	56%	40%
Protestants	38%	58%

Source: Environics Research
Methodology: Interviews to 2,018 Canadians, conducted from Jun. 12 to Jul. 6, 2003. Margin of error is 2.2 per cent.