Gallup poll shows majority of Americans support marriage equality

The most recent Gallup poll shows that fifty-three percent of Americans support making marriage available to everyone, a reversal from just a year ago when an equal majority opposed same-sex marriage. The latest poll findings are consistent with two earlier national polls that show support for legally recognized marriage between people of the same gender. By comparison, a 1996 Gallup found that 68 percent of Americans were opposed to same-sex marriage, a figure that has trended downward ever since. In a sign of a generation gap, Gallup found 70 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 support marriage equality, compared to only 39 percent among those 55 and older. Gallup said Democrats and political independents accounted for the entire shift in its survey compared to last year, when only 44 percent of all respondents favored marriage equality, while 53 percent were opposed. The percentage of Republicans favoring equality held steady at 28 percent.

[via REUTERS]