Nearly 7 in 10 adults in the U.S. support same-sex marriage, but that support has dipped in recent years, particularly among Republicans, according to the latest polling data from Gallup.
Support for same-sex marriage remains strong at 69%, though it is down slightly from the record high of 71% in 2022 and 2023. Republican support has decreased to below 50% in recent years: In 2022, 55% of Republicans said they believed same-sex marriage should be legal, while that support has fallen to 46% this year. Democratic support is at 83% this year, down from a record high of 87% in 2022, while independent support is at 74% this year, down from a record high of 77% last year.
Gallup said the decadeslong upward trend in public support has slowed because of “Democrats’ and independents’ support leveling off, while Republicans’ has dipped slightly.”
When Gallup began polling about same-sex marriage in 1996, 27% of Americans said they believed same-sex couples should be allowed to wed. In 2016, the year after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling Obergefell v. Hodges made same-sex marriage legal nationwide, support increased to 61% and has not fallen below that level since.
Republican support for same-sex marriage has averaged 30 points lower than among Democrats, according to Gallup’s polling data.
Gallup also polls Americans, as part of its Values and Beliefs survey, on their view of the morality of same-sex relations. This year, 64% of Americans said they see same-sex relations as morally acceptable, a steep drop off from 71% in 2022. Democrats (81%) and independents (68%) are more likely than Republicans (40%) to view same-sex relations as morally acceptable.
“Although the longer-term trends have shown increased support among all three party groups, the past two years have seen a leveling off, if not a decline, in that support,” Gallup concluded in its report.
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