Since Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan publicly declared their support for legalizing same-sex marriage, our phones have been ringing off the hook with requests for more data on Americans' views on this topic. Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport reports that half of Americans believe same-sex marriages should be recognized by law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages. He also discusses how Americans' views on same-sex marriage have changed over time and vary by party identification, religion, and religiosity.
Here is an in-depth breakdown of how Americans feel about legalizing same-sex marriage, from Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll, conducted May 3-6.
Frank Newport and USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page discuss Joe Biden's comments on same-sex marriage and President Obama's views on the issue in this week's Election Matters. We will be publishing more data on same-sex relations from Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll in the coming weeks.
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