Public Opinion Snapshot: Are We Past the Tipping Point on Support for Marriage Equality?

By Ruy Teixeira | September 24, 2012

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When President Barack Obama announced his support for marriage equality back in May, many speculated that his action might provoke a backlash against same-sex marriage. But that clearly has not happened. Instead, we’re now seeing consistent majority support for marriage equality in polls.

The latest example comes from a CBS News/New York Times poll taken earlier this month. In that poll, 51 percent of respondents thought it should be legal for same-sex couples to marry, compared to 41 percent who thought it shouldn’t.

Similarly, in a mid-August AP/National Constitution Center poll, 53 percent of respondents said government should give legal recognition to same-sex marriages, compared to 42 percent saying it should not.

This majority support for marriage equality is now the norm. And judging from trends of the last several years, we should expect these majorities to grow smartly throughout the decade.

Ruy Teixeira is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.