WASHINGTON – The percent of the American public that opposes gay “marriage” has significantly increased over the past year, according to the latest national survey released by the nonprofit Pew Research Center. And the percent of the public that supports civil unions has meanwhile reached its lowest mark since October of 2003.
After dropping to a low of 51 in March 2006, the percent of the public that now opposes allowing gays and lesbians to marry was found to be 57 – a “clear majority,” the Pew Center reported. The latest figures are part of an 88-page report that brings together demographic trends and survey results from interviews of 2,020 adults this year.
“The question of whether same-sex couples should have a right to marry has been a divisive issue in U.S. politics since 1993, when the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that there must be a ‘compelling state interest’ in order to continue to deny gay couples the right to marry,” the Washington-based Pew Research Center noted in its report, titled “Generation Gap in Values, Behaviors.”
“That ruling, along with a 2004 decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Court which made that state the first and only one in the nation to legalize gay marriage, have placed the issue in the center of the family-policy debate.”
Since 1993, more than 40 states and the federal government have enacted statutes defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman; and more than half of all states have enacted constitutional bans on gay marriage.
According to the latest Pew survey, the groups most likely to take issue with gay “marriage” include men, older adults (ages 50 and above), the less educated (high school or less), Protestants (particularly white evangelicals), and regular church attendees (weekly or more).
Significant partisan differences also emerge on this issue with Democrats being more divided – 48 percent opposing gay marriage vs. 42 percent supporting – than Republicans, who oppose gay marriage by a margin of better than five-to-one (78 percent vs. 14 percent).
Civil Unions
Regarding whether gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to form legally recognized civil unions that would give them many of the same rights as married couples, the public was found to be more closely divided. More people were found to oppose civil unions than support it, but only by a 1 percent margin, the Pew Center reported. Furthermore, the 45 percent that do support civil unions is the lowest figure since October 2003.
As with gay “marriage,” white evangelical Protestants (71 percent), frequent church attendees (64 percent) and Republicans (60 percent) stood out for their opposition to civil unions.
Gay Parenting
When asked about the trend of more gay and lesbian couples raising children, exactly half (50 percent) of the public said this is bad for society, compared with 34 percent who said it doesn’t make much difference and 11 percent who said it is good for society.
Furthermore, the Pew survey found that a larger proportion of men (59 percent) vs. women (42 percent) say gay parenting is bad for society. Among women, opposition to gay and lesbian couples raising children has declined in the past decade. In a 1997 survey of women only, a majority (56 percent) said this was a bad thing for society, compared with minority saying this today. Pew reported that the negative reaction has fallen across the board among women, regardless of age, education and marital status. Continue >>
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Hmmm, this "poll" seems starkly at odds with the NY Times/CBS NEWS/poll (April, 2007) in which 28% of Americans think gays should have the right to marry, with a further 32% saying they should have civil unions with all the rights, privileges and obligations of marriage, just not the name marriage. (That totals 60% IN FAVOR of equality!) Only 35% say they should have no legal recognition.
Let me say that divorce is not always the best option. Perhaps separation until both combatants have fully surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. There are many potential difficulties, but giving the covenant honor will always lead to a lot less regret. However, avoiding marriage until two are brought together of the Holy Ghost, like Ruth & Boaz, would go a long way to avoiding divorce in the first place. After all, marriage is not to be entered into `unadvisedly`. GG