WASHINGTON—Today, Gallup released a new poll that showed a growing percentage of people (71%) in the U.S. support same-sex marriage. In response, Human Rights Campaign Legal Director Sarah Warbelow released the following statement:
“This new data not only shows the continuing growth of support for same-sex marriage but also underscores what we have long known—anti-LGBTQ+ politicians and activists attacking marriage equality do not reflect the beliefs of the nation and are working contrary to public opinion,” said Sarah Warbelow, Human Rights Campaign Legal Director. “Notably, the Supreme Court doesn’t take public opinion into account when makings its decision; the Court will override decades of precedent if it strikes down Roe, despite the fact that a majority of Americans support access to abortion care. If that does indeed happen, it will likely embolden state legislatures – who have already been introducing and passing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation at a record pace – to continue to test the limits of court recognized LGBTQ+ equality. ”
Key Points from the poll:
- Today, results from a 2022 Gallup poll were released that showed the estimate of Americans that support same-sex marriage has risen to 71%, an increase of more than 44 percentage points from the initial recording in 1996.
- In 2011, support for same-sex marriage reached the majority level of Americans.
- In 2015, one month before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision, public support for legalizing same-sex marriage reached the 60% level.
Gallup: Same-Sex Marriage Support Inches Up to New High of 71%
By: Justin McCarthy
Seventy-one percent of Americans say they support legal same-sex marriage, which exceeds the previous high of 70% recorded in 2021 by one percentage point.
When Gallup first polled about same-sex marriage in 1996, barely a quarter of the public (27%) supported legalizing such unions. It would take another 15 years, until 2011, for support to reach the majority level.
Then in 2015, just one month before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision, public support for legalizing gay marriage cracked the 60% level, and last year it reached the 70% mark for the first time.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
