Subscribe to Breaking News
Loading ...Pew Research poll: Majority supports civil unions, same-sex marriage
10.09.2009 4:00pm EDT
News release from Pew Research Center:
(Washington) A new report based on a recent national survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that a clear majority of Americans favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into legal agreements with each other that would give them many of the same rights as married couples, a status commonly known as civil unions. This finding marks a slight uptick in support for civil unions and appears to continue a significant long-term trend since the question was first asked in Pew Research Center surveys in 2003, when support for civil unions stood at 45%.
Supporters of same-sex marriage are divided over the best way to pursue its legalization; 45% favor pushing hard to legalize it as soon as possible, while 42% of same-sex marriage advocates say they should not push too hard to legalize same-sex marriages right away because this might risk creating a backlash against gays and lesbians.
The poll also finds that half of the public (49%) says homosexual behavior is morally wrong, while 9% say it is morally acceptable and 35% say it is not a moral issue. Those who say it is morally wrong are significantly less supportive of same-sex marriage and civil unions.
The report, including an executive summary, methodology and topline questionnaire, is available online. Additional results from the survey will be released in subsequent reports.
This survey is a joint effort of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Both are projects of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.
Civil Unions still come up short no matter how you try to colour it. In the end, if we do choose to accept the compromise, then we still come up with the short end of the stick. We have to fight for full marriage rights, nothing less, nothing more, if we are to achieve full equality rights. In Canada, as in six other countries which have legalized same-sex marriage (or if you choose – marriage between any two consenting adults), we fought for, and would not settle for any thing less than marriage. In the United States, where you have a very powerful involvement of the Church in political affairs, it will take much longer to achieve marriage rights and of course it will take much longer to convince the general populace that it is totally insane not to grant our full protections under the law.
it’s a shame that so MANY people simply DON’T understand that Civil Unions 9aside from not conferring the same legal protections as civil marriage) DON’T work in reality (here’s a brilliant website, with studies, to that effect): http://www.civilunionsdontwork.com/ ; http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories08/february/0222083.htm ; and http://www.freedomtomarry.org/get_informed/marriage_basics/marriage_v_other.php
Please, SPREAD the awareness!!!
Headline is wrong. You say “Majority supports … same-sex marriage”. But the article says “53% oppose allowing gays and lesbians to marry”. I wish it was the other way around too, but you need to fix the headline.
This is interesting information. Sexual activity and behaviour, homosexual or heterosexual, based on love and care is always moral. Sexual activity and behaviour, homosexual or heterosexual, that exploits others is always immoral. It is no more immoral to be homosexual than to be heterosexual; it is how we live our sexuality. Therefore, if people agree that same-sex civil unions should have all the rights of marriage, then let’s stop playing word games and call it marriage. Churches of course should always have the right to decide if they want to marriage any couple or not, based on their teachings, but they have no right to stop same-sex couples from being marriage by civil authorities or Christian churches who support marriage equality.
Progress is so slow. I just wish there were something we could do to speed it up. I know that over time the younger generations who are significantly more educated and accepting will slowly become the establishment, but it seems to be happening so very slowly.