Majorities In 44 States Approve Same-Sex Marriage, Poll Finds
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | May 02, 2018
A majority of voters in 44 states support marriage equality, a new poll has found.
According to the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey, 61 percent of Americans say gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry legally, while 30 percent remain opposed.
In a landmark decision in 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry.
“The rise in support for same-sex marriage, particularly over the last few years, has led to a milestone: Today a majority of all racial and ethnic groups favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally,” pollsters wrote in announcing their findings.
Support among white and Hispanic Americans has grown 10 percent from 2013 to 2017, and 11 percent among African-Americans.
Only six states remain where support is not the majority: Alabama (41%), Mississippi (42%), Tennessee (46%), West Virginia (48%), Louisiana (48%) and North Carolina (49%).
“But notably, only one state, Alabama, has a majority of residents who oppose same-sex marriage,” pollsters noted.