STATES OF THE UNION

STUDY: Support For Gay Marriage Has Increased In Every State By 13.6%

gay-marriage-map
State Approval of Marriage in 2012

According to a new report by the Williams Institute, every state has seen increases in support for same-sex marriage over the last eight years.

The report, Public Support for Marriage for Same-sex Couples by State, reveals each state’s current level of public opinion and how it has differed since 2004.

Main findings include:

  • By the end of 2012, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, and the District of Columbia had support for same-sex marriage at or above 50 percent.
  • Of these 12 states, all currently perform marriages, civil unions, or domestic partnerships for same-sex couples.
  • Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota are currently within five percentage points of majority support.
  • In the last eight years, every state has increased in its support for marriage for same-sex couples with an average increase of 13.6 percent.
  • If present public opinion trends continue, another eight states will be above 50 percent support by the end of 2014.

Since 2009, six states – Maine, Maryland, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington – have passed laws introducing same-sex marriage while five additional states – Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, and Rhode Island – introduced civil unions or domestic partnerships for same-sex couples.

Despite increased support for same-sex marriage across the country, research revealed a 31% disparity between the lowest level of support found in a state (Louisiana/Arkansas, 31%) and the highest (Washington, D.C., 62%).

For the full report, click here.

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