USA: New Poll Shows 12% Increase in Support for Civil Unions Since 2007, Slight Drop on Gay Marriage

With the nation's capital poised to begin allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, opinions nationwide remain closely divided, but two-thirds of all Americans now say gay and lesbian couples should be able to have the same rights as heterosexual couples through civil unions. In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 47 percent say gay marriages should be legal, with 31 percent saying they feel that way "strongly." Intensity is stronger among opponents, however: overall, half say such marriages should be illegal, including 42 percent who say so strongly.

Civil unions draw broader support. Two-thirds now say they favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to form civil unions that would give them many of the same legal rights as married couples. That's an increase of 12 percentage points since a December 2007 poll that asked about civil unions for "homosexual couples."

In the new poll, support for civil unions is at 50 percent or better across party and ideological lines. Support for such arrangements is now 15 points higher than it was a few years ago among conservatives; it's up 13 points among Republicans.

Full Story from the Washington Post
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