Support for same-sex marriage dips among Republicans

Support for same-sex marriage continued to decline slightly among Republicans in the latest Gallup survey, released Monday.

According to the poll, conducted last month, 46 percent of Republicans support same-sex marriage — statistically similar to the 49 percent who supported same-sex marriage in 2023. The latest results, however, mark a continued decline in support among Republicans from the record 55 reported in 2021 and in 2022.

Republicans have also seen a decline in those who say “gay or lesbian relations” are “morally acceptable” — at 40 percent today, down slightly from 41 percent in 2023. The percentage of Republicans who share this view is markedly lower than the record 56 percent in 2022.

Among Americans overall, support for same-sex marriage remains high, with more than two-thirds (69 percent) saying it should be legal. Those who view “gay or lesbian relations” as “morally acceptable” is similarly high, with 64 percent sharing this view.

Democrats and Independents continue to be more aligned on the subject, with 83 percent of Democrats and 74 percent of Independents supporting gay marriage in 2024, down from 84 percent and 77 percent, respectively, in 2023.

In 2022, 87 percent of Democrats and 72 percent of Independents supported same-sex marriage.

Democrats and Independents have diverged slightly since last year on their views of gay or lesbian relations, with 81 percent of Democrats and 68 percent of Independents believing they are morally acceptable in 2024. In 2023, the two groups were closer, with 79 percent of Democrats and 73 percent of Independents saying they were morally acceptable. In 2022, 85 percent of Democrats and 72 percent of Independents said they were morally acceptable.

Since 2016, the year after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges, support for same-sex marriage has remained above 61 percent. Support has grown steadily in the last two decades. According to Gallup, the slowing of the upward trend in support is indicative of the leveling off of Democratic and Independent support and the slight dip in Republican support.

The leveling off comes as the share of Americans who identify as LGBTQ+ continues to grow. In 2023, 7.6 percent of Americans identified as not straight, including 22 percent of Generation Z and 10 percent of Millennials.

In December 2022, Congress passed landmark legislation, The Respect for Marriage Act, enshrining federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages.

The survey included 1,024 adults and was conducted on May 1-23. The margin of error is +/- 4 percentage points.

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