Opposition to Gay Marriage Is Declining

Opposition to gay marriage has dropped significantly among Americans in recent years, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

In the poll, 53 percent of respondents said they opposed gay marriages, while 38 percent said they backed them. In 1996 65 percent said they opposed such marriages, while 27 percent favored the idea.

White evangelical Protestants were the most firmly opposed to the idea of gay marriage: 83 percent said they opposed it; 84 percent opposed it in 1996. Opposition among blacks also remained essentially unchanged, with 64 percent opposing gay marriages today, and 65 percent opposing the idea in 1996.

The wide-ranging survey also found that attitudes toward Islam had undergone striking change. The number of Americans who say Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence has increased substantially in the past year; 44 percent said they felt that way in the new poll, whereas 25 percent felt that way in March 2002.