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Loading ...Survey examines role of economics, faith in Prop 8
12.04.2008 12:45pm EST
(San Francisco, California) Voters’ economic status and religious convictions played a greater role than race and age in determining whether they supported the Nov. 4 ballot measure outlawing same-sex marriage in California, a new poll shows.
The ban drew its strongest support from both evangelical Christians and voters who didn’t attend college, according to results released by the Public Policy Institute of California.Age and race, meanwhile, were not as strong factors as assumed. According to the poll, 56 percent of voters over age 55 and 57 percent of nonwhite voters cast a yes ballot for the gay marriage ban.
People who identified themselves as practicing Christians were highly likely to support the constitutional amendment, with 85 percent of evangelical Christians, 66 percent of Protestants and 60 percent of Roman Catholics favoring it.
The poll also showed that the measure got strong backing from voters who did not attend college (69 percent), voters who earned less than $40,000 a year (63 percent) and Latinos (61 percent).
The proposition, which passed with 52 percent of the vote, overturned the state Supreme Court’s May decision legalizing gay marriage in California. The measure inserts language into the constitution limiting marriage to one man and one woman.
The poll found that, overall, 48 percent of voters oppose the idea of making gay marriage legal. Forty-seven percent support it, while 5 percent are undecided.
The results mirror previous PPIC polls from the last three years, suggesting that the $73 million spent for and against the measure did not do much to change public attitudes on allowing gay couples to wed, said survey director Mark Baldassare.
“At no point in time, before or after the election, did we have a majority of Californians saying they supported gay marriage,” Baldassare said. “My takeaway from this is that until there is a major shift in public opinion one way or another, it’s going to be another issue where voters are deeply divided.”
Geoffrey Kors, executive director of the gay rights group Equality California, said the PPIC poll demonstrates that same-sex marriage advocates “need to make inroads in every category. If 2 percent of voters had voted differently, we would have had a different result,” he said.
The poll was based on a phone survey of 2,003 California voters in the Nov. 4 election who were interviewed from Nov. 5-6. The sampling error was plus or minus 2 percentage points.
A separate poll by Harris Interactive for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation released on Wednesday found nationally three-quarters of Americans favor either marriage or domestic partnerships/civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.
Looks like the professional LGBT community must find new methods to propagandize the uneducated masses. It will be a two pronged assault. Conservative groups will provide scientific reference while LGBT medical and legal professionals continue to engage in antisocial behavior. It should be very interesting.
It is very saddening to hear that our group of people (GLBT), are considered 2nd class citizens. We were raised the same as our heterosexual brothers & sisters. We were born & raised in the United States. Our military can’t function without hatred towards the GLBT community and our closeted military families. So, our lives, are good enough to protect our country, but doesn’t consider us a 100% equal in our own country. What a damn shame.
Thanks for stating the OBVIOUS!!!
As if we didn’t already know that retarded inbred cultists HATE FREEDOM!
Time to start negotiating a reduced tax rate. Less rights should translate to less taxes.
When the Dry Cleaner my family has been using for over 10 years asked me ‘Why are you (gays/lesbians) making such a big deal out of this?’ meaning the loss of marriage rights after the passage of Prop 8 I immediately thought about the movie ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ which addressed anti-semitism.
In eloquent dialogue Mr. Peck’s character explained that those who don’t expouse hate speech but remain silent when others use it, especially in jokes or ‘just a phrase’ – when those who turn a blind eye to basic human rights being trampled, curtailed or eliminated because they aren’t part of the group being affected – these people are perhaps more dangerous, certainly more insidious, than those who carry the signs painted loudly with their hate and intolerance.
These are the people I want to reach because I think they can benefit from our outreach. Their views are based on ignorance (very different from stupidity) and not wanting to rock the boat with friends and family. I want to know how to reach these people because I think they’ll be open to outreach efforts.
But, when someone calls me ‘the abomination’ as did the clerk at my vitamin store – I don’t think there’s anything I can do or say which will change his view. He’s clinging to his version of his god with both hands and mind closed tight.
What the LGBT community needs to do now is to form a national movement of both gay and straight allies to get behind a propopsition to remove tax-exempt status from every religious cult or business that financially supported, advocated and voted for passage of Prop. H8. Lets give them a dose of their own medicine and show them that we too can play hard ball, only better. Hitting them in their pockets is the best place to start.
RJLigier? Scientific reference = the bible says homosexuality is wrong???
Perhaps you should study up on antisocial behavior before you post an ignorant comment.
Let me guess you are part of the uneducated masses that this article discusses.
RJLigier? Scientific reference = the bible says homosexuality is wrong???
Perhaps you should study up on antisocial behavior before you post an ignorant comment.
Let me guess you are part of the uneducated masses that this article discusses.
California’s economy is failing – just think how much revenue is being lost in cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and San Diego now that gays are no longer spending on weddings!
Mabye if Geoffrey Kors would have stayed on the job and not have taken a vacation, and maybe if they would not have been so ashamed of showing gay couples in commercials in everyday activities, than maybe some voters may have been swayed and no on 8 would have swung in the coorect way in favor of our rights.
RJLieger:
The day Your ‘GOD’ walks into the State capitol of california and applies for citizenship is the day I think we’ll all grant God ‘His Civil Rights’ as depicted in the photograph.
Until then YOUR religious rights do NOT trumph MY CIVIL RIGHTS. Which is exactly why prop 8 will be oveturned (again) and you will have to go cry on your bible!
Moron.
Scientists have identified the part of the brain that produces religious fanaticism. It *IS* a *PATHOLOGY*. “House MD” did an excellent (fictional) episode on the subject.
A similar survey of the percentage of college graduates, average income, percentage of those who attend church more than once a week, AND how much the “red” states receive back in Federal tax dollars for every dollar sent to Washington (Mississippi gets back SEVENTEEN dollars for every dollar collected!) is also very instructive. The reddest states have the lowest standards of living and the most inadequate school systems.
Perhaps all that should give us pause. The remedy required is HUGE … MUCH bigger than just the need for marriage equality outreach and education projects. The Konstipated Konservative Kristianist Kultist Krazies (KKKKK) are firmly entrenched in every level of society as a whole, education, government, etc.
Texas actually tried to take away the tax-exempt status of the Unitarian-Universalist churches “because they didn’t believe anything” (!), i.e., they weren’t conservative evangelical kristianists (and didn’t hate LGBTQ people).
RJLigier’s comments about GLBT medical and legal professionals engaging in antisocial behaviour have aroused my curiosity. RJL, to what exactly are you referring? Going to court to secure our civil rights? Demanding that conservative healthcare professionals obey the anti-discrimination laws?
Please enlighten us.
Bud Burgoon-Clark
legally married, but
still a 2nd class citizen
thanks to the KKKKK (see above)
Shai, u could tell that clerk in the vitimin store “that his mother sucks cocks in hell” LOUDLY! He believes your an abomination, but if he thinks you are bolder & crazier than him, he will leave you alone and his boss might not appreciate such displays in HIS store(not Yours BTW) and fire the mealy mouthed motherfucker! Tit for Tat!
well that makes the majority dumb and religious. poor America where are you going , well bush did get elected by the same lot.no surprise there.
Shai,
Perhaps picketing and boycotting your nutrition store would be a start. People can believe as they wish. Anyone who calls my “sodomite” or “abomination” in my presence will spit teeth.