Same-Sex Relations
Doctor-Assisted Suicide Is Moral Issue Dividing Americans Most
Pornography, gay relations produce biggest generational gaps
May 31, 2011
Doctor-assisted suicide is the most controversial of 17 cultural issues Gallup tested this year, with Americans divided 45% vs. 48% over its moral acceptability. Many also disagree about whether abortion and out-of-wedlock births are morally right or wrong. More than 9 in 10 say extramarital affairs are wrong.
U.S. Adults Estimate That 25% of Americans Are Gay or Lesbian
Those with lower incomes, the less educated, women, and young people give the highest estimates
May 27, 2011
U.S. adults, on average, estimate that 25% of Americans are gay or lesbian, up from an estimate of 21% to 22% in 2002. Lower-income Americans, the least educated, women, and young people give the highest estimates, and demographics appear to be more closely related to views than politics or ideology.
In U.S., Young Adults, Women Put Gay Population at 30%
May 27, 2011
Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport discusses Americans' estimates of the size of the gay population in the United States, revealing that young adults and women offer some of the highest approximations.
Support for Legal Gay Relations Hits New High
Sixty-four percent believe they should be legal
May 25, 2011
Sixty-four percent of Americans believe gay or lesbian relations between consenting adults should be legal, the highest support Gallup has found to date. Slightly fewer, 56%, but still a new high, consider gay or lesbian relations morally acceptable.
For First Time, Majority of Americans Favor Legal Gay Marriage
Republicans and older Americans remain opposed
May 20, 2011
For the first time in Gallup's tracking of the issue, a majority of Americans (53%) believe same-sex marriage should be recognized by the law as valid. The increase from 44% last year came exclusively from political independents and Democrats. Republicans' views did not change.
In U.S., 67% Support Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
The most opposition comes from conservative Republicans
December 9, 2010
If they had an opportunity to vote on it, 67% of Americans say they would vote for a law that would allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military. The most opposition comes from conservative Republicans.
Americans Support Two Major Elements of Tax Compromise
Liberal vs. conservative/moderate Democrats disagree on extending tax cuts for all
December 8, 2010
Two-thirds of Americans support key elements of the compromise tax bill worked out by President Obama and Republican leaders this week: extending tax breaks for two years for all Americans and extending unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed.
Four Moral Issues Sharply Divide Americans
Partisan disagreement drives national controversy on gay relations, abortion
May 26, 2010
Americans hold similar moral judgments on 12 of 16 cultural matters that sometimes fuel debate in the country. By contrast, doctor-assisted suicide is highly controversial, as are gay relations, abortion, and having children out of wedlock.
Americans' Acceptance of Gay Relations Crosses 50% Threshold
Increased acceptance by men driving the change
May 25, 2010
American men have become more likely to view gay and lesbian relations as "morally acceptable" in recent years, sending overall acceptance to a new high of 52% in 2010. Support for legal gay marriage and the legality of gay and lesbian relations more generally are also near their highest levels.
Americans' Opposition to Gay Marriage Eases Slightly
Forty-four percent favor legal recognition; 53% are opposed
May 24, 2010
More Americans continue to oppose (53%) than favor (44%) legal recognition of same-sex marriage, but the current level of opposition ties the lowest Gallup has measured since 1996.
Related Items
Religiosity and Perceived Intolerance of Gays and Lesbians
March 10, 2009
Blacks as Conservative as Republicans on Some Moral Issues
December 3, 2008
Americans Evenly Divided on Morality of Homosexuality
June 18, 2008
