November 02, 2006

Abstract: - Adults in the United States hold differing views on whether gay and lesbian partnerships should be officially recognized, according to a poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates released by Newsweek. 24 per cent of respondents support same-sex marriage, while 26 per cent favour the concept of civil unions.

- Adults in the United States hold differing views on whether gay and lesbian partnerships should be officially recognized, according to a poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates released by Newsweek. 24 per cent of respondents support same-sex marriage, while 26 per cent favour the concept of civil unions.

Conversely, 40 per cent of respondents oppose any legal recognition for gay and lesbian couples.

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 union and domestic partnership laws in Vermont, Connecticut and California grant same-sex couples all state-level rights and obligations of marriage—in areas such as inheritance, income tax, insurance and hospital visitation. There are more than 1,000 federal-level rights of marriage that cannot be granted by states.

On Jun. 7, a proposal to enact a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage failed in the Senate after a 49-48 vote. On Jul. 18, a House of Representatives effort to constitutionally prohibit any form of marriage other than one "between a man and a woman" fell 46 votes short of the 289 required to pass.

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 on Nov. 7.

Earlier this month, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the state's constitution forbids the legislature from denying the rights and benefits of marriage to same-sex partners. The court did not issue an opinion on whether these unions should actually be called marriage.

Polling Data

There has been much talk recently about whether gays and lesbians should have the legal right to marry someone of the same sex. Which of the following comes closest to your position on this issue? Do you support full marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples; do you support gay civil unions or partnerships, but not gay marriage; or, do you oppose any legal recognition for gay and lesbian couples?

	Oct. 2006	May 2004
Full marriage rights	24%	28%
Civil unions	26%	23%
No legal recognition	40%	43%
Unsure	10%	6%

Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates / Newsweek
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,002 American adults, conducted on Oct. 26 and Oct. 27, 2006. Margin of error is 4 per cent.