Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Social Issues
Jaclyn Diaz, NPR

A record number of Americans, including Republicans, support same-sex marriage

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
A man holds a U.S. and a rainbow flag outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2015, after the court legalized gay marriage nationwide.
A man holds a U.S. and a rainbow flag outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2015, after the court legalized gay marriage nationwide.
Jacquelyn Martin | AP

Support for same-sex marriage in the U.S. has reached an all-time high of 70 percent, according to a poll released by Gallup on Tuesday.

The percentage — the highest since the organization began recording the trend in 1996 — marks a 10 percent increase since 2015, the same year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled all states must recognize same-sex marriages.

The rise in support stems largely from a majority of Republicans, who for the first time approve of same-sex marriage at 55 percent, according to Gallup.

The company reports 83 percent of Democrats, a political bloc that has consistently been the biggest backers of same-sex marriage, indicated support for it this year. Compared to prior reports, Democrats reported the same level of approval for gay and lesbian marriage over the past few years.

Gallup wrote, "This could suggest that support for gay marriage has reached a ceiling for this group, at least for now."

Support among voters who identify as independents, is now at 73 percent slightly higher than the 68 percent to 71 percent range recorded from 2017 to 2020.

The company also broke down responses, calculated through a random sample of phone interviews with 1,000 adults, based on age groups. The analysis revealed all age groups are the most supportive they've ever been.

Positions on same-sex marriage still differ among age groups with 84 percent of young adults, 72 percent of middle-aged adults, and 60 percent of older adults saying they favor same-sex marriage.

When Gallup first began asking this question in 1996, just 27 percent of Americans endorsed the legal recognition of gay and lesbian marriages. The data comes from Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll, which was conducted last month.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.