Support for same-sex marriage has been growing rapidly. A new survey done by Pew Research Center shows that, even among groups who have traditionally opposed same-sex marriage, acceptance is growing.
In fact, the survey found that about half of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents no longer oppose marriage equality.
This survey comes two years after the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal across all 50 states in America.
The national survey conducted by Pew Research took place between 8 June and 18 June. 2,504 adults participated.
For the first time, the survey found that 56% of the baby boomer generation now supports same-sex marriage. This is a 10% increase from last year, where Boomers were split 46% to 48% on same-sex marriage.
Additionally, support for same-sex marriage among the African American community has also increased. Since 2015, support for same-sex marriage in the African American community has increased 12% – from 39% to 51%.
Younger white evangelicals, unlike their older counterparts, are also more supportive of same-sex marriage with 47% of those surveyed being in favor of it.
Still, those who are more devout Catholics and Protestants tend to oppose same-sex marriage, with just 39% being for it.
Gender, income and education also played a part. Women were more likely to support same-sex marriage – 64% compared to 60% of their male counterparts.
Those with higher levels of education and larger incomes were also more likely to support same-sex marriage. 79% of those with postgraduate degrees supported same-sex marriage compared to 53% of those with only a high school education or less.
Overall, it seems the United States’ opinion of same-sex marriages is improving greatly. This, however, comes at a time where same-sex marriage is still a hot-button issue. Recently the Supreme Court reaffirmed their 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage after a case regarding both partners wanting their names on their child’s birth certificate was brought to them. The Court ruled that same-sex couples cannot be treated differently than heterosexual couples when it comes to issuing birth certificates.
After the Court’s summer recess, they’ll be hearing a case about a baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in Colorado.
