For the first time in Pew Research Center surveys,there is as much strong support as strong opposition to gay marriage. In a survey conducted April 4-15, 22% say they \u201cstrongly\u201d support allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally; an identical percentage (22%) \u201cstrongly\u201d opposes gay marriage. In 2008, there was about twice as much strong opposition to as strong support for gay marriage (30% vs. 14%).<\/p>\n\n
In 2004, when the issue was widely thought to have increased turnout among socially conservative voters in several key states, 36% strongly opposed gay marriage while just 11% strongly favored it. (For more, see Andrew Kohut\u2019s piece in the New York Times on the changing politics of gay marriage, \u201cThe Electorate Changes and Politics Follow,\u201d <\/a>April 16, 2012).<\/p>\n\n Overall, the public is divided on the issue:47% favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally, while 43% are opposed. In 2008, 39% favored and 51% opposed gay marriage, based on an average of polls conducted that year. In 2004, just 31% supported gay marriage, while nearly twice as many (60%) were opposed.<\/p>\n\n View our graphic <\/a>to see how public opinion has changed on gay marriage since 2001. Read More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For the first time in Pew Research Center surveys, there is as much strong support as strong opposition to gay marriage, with 22% of the public coming down on each 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