| Survey of 1,000 Adults July 31 to August 1, 2003 | 66% Oppose Gay Marriage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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February 4,2004--The Massachusetts Supreme
Court has issued an opinion that "nothing
short of gay marriage would pass constitutional muster." Vermont-style
"civil unions" will not satisfy the court. A state Constitutional Convention
will be held soon with the intent of legally defining marriage as a union
between one man and one woman. A Rasmussen Reports survey conducted last summer found that America's views on the role of gay and lesbians in society is mixed... and probably in transition. Forty percent (40%) of American adults have gay or lesbian friends and family members. Two-thirds of Americans (66%) believe that marriage should take place only between a man and a woman. Just 27% believe that marriage between gay and lesbian couples should be allowed. At the same time, only 15% of Americans would strongly encourage a gay or lesbian friend to change their lifestyle. A solid plurality (42%) would accept their friend's lifestyle without approving of it. Just over a quarter of all Americans (28%) would wholeheartedly support their friend's lifestyle while 11% would gently encourage their friend to change. Add it all together and 70% of Americans would support or accept the lifestyle of a gay or lesbian friend. Just 26% would encourage their friend to change. Fifty-eight percent (58%) agree with President Bush's position that "Americans should treat gays in a welcoming and respectful manner" while asserting that marriage applies only to relationships between a man and a woman. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of those over 65 agree with the President's position, but only 42% of those under 30 share this view. This data is from a national telephone survey of 1,000 adults conducted by Rasmussen Reports on July 31 and August 1, 2003. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. There are sharply different perspectives on all of these issues by age. For example, among senior citizens, 82% believe that marriage should be restricted to relationships between a man and a woman. Among the under-30 crowd, that number falls to 50%. Most (55%) of those under 30 say that they have friends or family members who are gay or lesbian. Just 20% of those over 65 say they have gay or lesbian friends and family members. Forty-three percent (43%) of those under 30 would wholeheartedly support a gay or lesbian friend's lifestyle. Among senior citizens, just 10% would be so supportive. While Americans today solidly oppose gay marriage, the attitudinal differences of younger Americans suggests that overall public attitudes may shift dramatically over the next generation. Another huge gap exists between those who have gay or lesbian friends and family members and those who do not. Among those who do, 52% say they support their friend's lifestyle wholeheartedly. Among those without such friends, only 11% say they would wholeheartedly support a gay or lesbian friend.
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