Public Opinion Snapshot: Support for Marriage Equality Hits New Highs

By Ruy Teixeira | May 29, 2012

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In the wake of President Barack Obama’s announcement of support for marriage equality, Americans’ support for legalizing same-sex marriage has reached its highest level yet. In a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, 53 percent of respondents said they supported legalization versus just 39 percent who opposed it. The 14-point pro-legalization gap is the largest margin the poll has ever recorded. It is also the first time that strong support for legalization (39 percent) has been larger than strong opposition (32 percent).

The same poll finds high public approval of President Obama’s decision to support marriage equality: 51 percent support his decision versus 41 percent who oppose it.

These data could not be clearer. Conservatives who continue to oppose marriage equality better get used to being in a dwindling minority. The country is moving on.

Ruy Teixeira is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. To learn more about his public opinion analysis, go to the Media and Progressive Values page and the Progressive Studies program page of our website.