The Exception is The GOP But Dems, Younger Voters Support Gays

A majority of Democrats (57%) favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, as do 51% of independents. By comparison, just 23% of Republicans favor same-sex marriage while 71% are opposed. In recent years, support for gay marriage has risen sharply among Democrats and independents, while Republicans’ views have shown far less change.

Both whites and blacks have become more likely to favor marriage rights for gays in recent years, but the increase in support has been larger among whites. In 2011, 46% off whites and 36% of blacks said they favored allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally.

(For more on attitudes of religious groups toward gay marriage, see “Religion and Attitudes toward Same-Sex Marriage,”Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Feb. 7, 2012.)

Since the 1990s, there also has been an increase in the percentage of Americans saying that homosexuality should be accepted by society. In March 2011, 58% said that homosexuality should be accepted by society, while a third (33%) said it should be discouraged.

In 1994 and 1995, when the Pew Research Center first began asking about this topic, opinion was about evenly divided. But by 2000, slightly more said homosexuality should be accepted by society than said it should be discouraged (50% vs. 41%).

In 2006, 51% said homosexuality should be accepted, while 38% said it should be discouraged. In 2011, support for societal acceptance of homosexuality again increased, to 58%.