Support for same-sex marriage matches record high: Gallup

Two in three Americans said they support same-sex marriage, according to new poll, matching a record-high from 2018. 

Sixty-seven percent of Americans said marriage between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. 

The figures from the latest poll match the record-high level of support Gallup recorded in 2018, based on Gallup’s annual “values and beliefs” polls conducted yearly in May. 

The poll comes just ahead of the five-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that led to nationwide recognition of same-sex marriages. 

Gallup first measured support for gay marriage in 1996, when 27 percent of Americans said they supported it. 

Gallup first recorded majority-level support in May 2001, and support has exceeded 60 percent each year since 2016, according to Gallup. 

Democrats have been the most likely group to support same-sex marriage over the years, according to Gallup’s polling, with 83 percent of Democrats saying they support it in the latest poll. The latest data is a 50-point increase from the level of support among Democrats when Gallup first surveyed the question in 1996. 

Similarly, 71 percent of independents said they support same-sex marriage, based on the poll, marking a 39 point increase since Gallup first asked the question. 

Republicans have consistently been the least likely group to voice support same-sex marriage, according to Gallup, although support among Republicans has increased by 33 points since 1996. 

Since 2017, support among Republicans has remained stable, ranging from 44 percent to 49 percent, according to Gallup.

Results from the poll are based on interviews conducted May 1-13 with a sample of 1,028 adults. There is a margin of error of 4 percentage points.