Poll: Most Americans support same-sex unions

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

A new CBS News/New York Times Poll shows a solid majority of Americans support legal recognition for same-sex couples - though not necessarily through the official act of marriage - and the number of people who do support full marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples is significantly higher among younger generations.

Overall, 38 percent of those who responded to the survey said same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, just like any other couple. Another 24 percent said civil unions should be used to grant same-sex couples legal rights similar to male-female partnerships. Combined, that means 62 percent - close to two thirds - of Americans believe that same-sex unions should be recognized by law.

Of all those who participated, 33 percent said there should be no legal recognition for same-sex couples.

One of the most striking figures revealed by the survey comes when the responses are broken down by age. Americans between the ages of 18 and 44 are far more likely than people 45 and older to support full marriage rights for same-sex couples.

While the number of those in younger generations who completely oppose any legal recognition for same-sex couples remains nearly identical to the larger population - about a third in total - far more people from this subgroup favor full marriage rights over civil unions.

Of all the 18- to 44-year-olds who participated in the poll, 53 percent said same-sex couples should be granted full marriage rights. And while almost a quarter of the entire population feels civil unions are more appropriate, as stated above, that number shrinks to just 17 percent when the younger group is looked at in isolation. Thirty percent of those between 18 and 44 said no legal recognition was appropriate.

CBS

A number of proponents - from gay and lesbian rights activists to politicians and pop culture figures - have pointed to age as a defining characteristic in the American marriage debate in the wake of President Obama's watershed public backing for same-sex marriage last week.

Mr. Obama himself suggested that future generations of voting Americans were likely to push the public consensus more in the direction of legal same sex marriages, when he alluded to his own young daughters' feelings, and some young Republicans agreeing with him on the issue, even though they remain at odds in most other areas.

"Some of this is also generational," the president told ABC News' Robin Roberts. "You know when I go to college campuses, sometimes I talk to college Republicans who think that I have terrible policies on the economy, on foreign policy, but are very clear that when it comes to same-sex equality or, you know, sexual orientation, that they believe in equality. They are much more comfortable with it."

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The views expressed in the new CBS News/New York Times poll have been relatively consistent for the past few years. Prior to that, however, support for same-sex marriage was lower. In 2004, just 28 percent said same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, and 38 percent thought their relationships should have no legal recognition.

There are large partisan differences on this issue, as well, and they are clear from the poll data.

About half of Republicans said they do not support any legal recognition of same-sex relationships, while 37 percent back civil unions. Few Republicans who participated in the survey - just nine percent - said same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, whereas 58 percent of Democrats say same-sex couples should be permitted to marry.

Most independents (62 percent) support some kind of legal recognition of same-sex relationships, including 39 percent who said such couples should be allowed to marry.

Most Americans seem to think states, rather than the federal government, should make the decision as to whether same-sex marriage is legal or not. Only a third of those who responded to the survey said the federal government should decide. Most Republicans and independents think this issue should be decided by state governments, while Democrats are equally divided.

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This poll was conducted by telephone on May 11-13, 2012 among 615 adults nationwide, including 562 registered voters, who were first interviewed for a CBS News/New York Times Poll conducted April 13-17, 2012.

Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus four percentage points. The margin of error for the sample of registered voters is four percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

[melbatom]

Major Problem: The issue is HOW the question is asked. You can ask it one way get a Yes ask the same person another way and get a NO. That implies a confusion of Moral Fibers in this issue. If you have a true belief in the Bible or Koran you will say No on one side and who cares on the other. To get a true response will require a question define religious issues as well as personal.

[Heathergreeneyes]

What an amazing manipulation of statistics, to fit a political agenda!

The supporters of same sex marriage oppose civil unions, so why are we suddenly adding civil union supports in with same sex marriage supports? Maybe to make this survey imply support for Obama's new "evolved" stand on same sex marriage?

And what an odd evolution it was! When Obama ran for senate he was for same sex marriage, when he ran for president he was against same sex marriage, and now he has evolved, and s for it again!

If Obama was a Republican the media would call that flip flopping. But he's a Democrat, so he has "evovled"................

[Mark_L_Holland]

Ok, to the Monitors

Christianity claims a single living god, with one name, image and persona who is unchanging for over 14 billion years.

I challenge that claim. Where is the offence that is getting my posts deleted.

Christianity claims that they have the authority to pick and choose from the Old Testament and apply the Old Testament teachings in making judgements against others.

I challenge that claim. I post scripture from their Jesus that shows that only the teachings of Jesus are applicable. That to use Old Testament teachings as authoritive is in fact rejecting Their Jesus and his words.

Where is the offense in challenging unfounded claims made by Christians with historical facts and their own bible. Because unless you are Evangelical zealots I do not see where my posts can be considered offensive.

So either the monitors here are Evangelical zealots who cannot tolerate having your unfounded beliefs challenged. Or you are not but are simply accepting the flagging of my posts as offensive by Evangelical Zealots who cannot stand to have their unfounded beliefs challenged.

So which would it be are you Evangelical and Fundamentalist zealots or are you simpley allowing Evangelical and Fundamentalist zealots to flag anything that challenges their unfounded claims and deleting those flags without question?

[vengenceofgod100]

CBS and piece's of electronic mail as above is what's wrong with the media. Rupy Murdoch and the corruption of his rotten to the core News Empire was not an accident, and neither obviously is this swillish column above. Since when do Americans allow the Press the right to elect Presidents? I am offended by this trashy story. But its typical now in this corrupt day and age of gangster politicians and a Banking system which wants to run the whole corrupt show and they do run it by bribing all the corrupt politicians we Americans send down to Babylon D.C.. And you the Free so-called Press add to the corruption daily. You are not journalists in exposing corruption, you are like Murdoch and those that love to cover-up the lies of the whole ball of wax. You are a big part of the problem in all the spheres of influence and power in the world and a total disgrace to anything like real reporting of the News. You take us all to hell in your hand basket and wouldn't know truth because than your little lies would be uncovered. Please continue to hold up the false image you love plastic man.

[rightontarget]

"Some of this is also generational,"
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Well I believe that it may be somewhat "generational". Way back in my Mother's day, women who were divorced and women who smoked cigarettes were looked down upon. I myself remember when inter-racial marriages were considered taboo. Actually Jews couldn't marry Protistants and any mixing of the race or of religion (unless it was within the Protistant group) was frowned upon, so much so that families were torn apart because of it. Eventually same sex unions will be accepted whether the zealots want it to be or not. They will still continue to prejudice their children, as all those prejudice and selfrighteous people still do today, but the majority of our youth is smart enough to make up their own minds. Thank goodness generations seem to always become more tolerant than the one that went before them.

[Justicecomes]

I would use the term Zealots loosely. I believe the church we have today is the false prophet spoken of in Revelations. I do not believe homosexuality is a sin. Jesus even spoke of homosexuals as Eunuchs born so from the womb. I also believe denying them marriage is a biblical prophecy fulfilled about the end days. Not all Christians believe what the main church believes. In fact some of us believe the mainstream church is the AntiChrist.

[JakeClayton]

The results of this poll are interesting, and how they are being interpreted by the main stream press are down right hilarious. Over the last few days, I had seen a number of headlines that led me to believe that most Americans now support same-sex marriage. That's not what the poll found at all, but that's the way it is being played up in the press. In fact, watching ABC's This Week on Sunday, that was exactly the impression left with the viewers.

In every state where voters have been allowed to vote on same-sex marriage, it has lost by large margins. Even in California, which is really quite liberal.

This poll and how it is being reported is yet more evidence of the main stream press advancing an agenda that favors homosexual marriage. That's interesting and should be the subject of some actual hard-hitting reporting. Why is the national press and Hollywood so interested in convincing America that it really does support homosexual marriage? The press is suppose to report the news, not make it.

[Zann-Zel]

Why hasn't Canada "Destructed" yet???

I mean with legalized same sex marriage AND healthcare for all what in the world is keeping them alive up there???
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Can someone answer that for me?

[Lindag10]

Probably because their system WORKS. They sure don't seem to be in constant government gridlock either and they take care of their citizens.

[AOCGUY]

12 years ago the guy living aross the street from me was a retired RCMP. Moved down to Florida to escape the cold and seemed perfectly happy until he got sick. At that point he returned to Canada where he was able to get affordable healthcare.

Oh and for you anti-immigrant folks, I don't believe he ever became a U.S. citizen (why would he?) but he bought a house, paid property taxes, got a job at Wal-Mart, again paid income taxes, kept is yard clean, obeyed the law, and generally was a good neighbor. I don't know how it works in Canada but I suspect he paid Canadian income tax on his RCMP retirement as well.

[enoughalready911]

CBS who are you trying to kid.....
look at the number of states who have blocked same sex marriage....where did you poll? San Francisco and NYC?

Look people don't care what you are doing in your own place...live it up, pound the brown, we don't care. But what you have is NOT a marriage...marriage has a very long history of meaning a joining of man and woman.

If you got to call it something call it gay-rriage... why do you care? Marriage is already taken long ago. If you want to have similar family related rights thats ok too....as long as you ALSO have the same laws on the DOWN side as well. For example if you get divorced(or gay-vorced) then you MUST split your property just like married folks. If you get gay-vorced then you have to wait just like everyone else. If you are caught committing adultery(which is MUCH more prevalent among my gay friends than my straight friends)then you pay the price in the divorce. Basically if you want the good you have to take the bad as well......but bottom line its(marriage) is OUR word and you can't corrupt it.

Just think "Gay" used to have a whole different meaning. And the attempt to co-opt/corrupt rainbows is simply shameful.

[Persiphone]

"What was once vice is now virtue" There is nothing new under the sun. However, if you think the homosexual practices will now be confined to the "marriage" bed, and your sons or daughter can go about their daily lives without being propositioned in the lavatory, remember their apologetic stance that they are born like it and can't help it. Self control is not a homosexual trait.

[Zann-Zel]

Self control is not a homosexual trait.
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Jest tell me self control is a heterosexual trait - I need to laugh early today! LMAO!

[Rob0007]

this is bull. if that's truly the case, america is ripe for destruction. but idon't believe it.

[Zann-Zel]

Why hasn't Canada "Destructed" yet???

I mean with legalized same sex marriage AND healthcare for all what in the world is keeping them alive up there???

[honestabe8]

Awww....little fella, equal rights for all bother you?