Massive shift in support for gay marriage

A new USA Today/Gallup poll has revealed a dramatic shift in support for gay equality, with 53 percent of Americans now in favour of same-sex marriage.

Of the 46 percent of the adult population who oppose legalisation of gay marriage, the poll found most put their opposition down to religious beliefs and/or interpretation of biblical passages dealing with same-sex relations.

The level of support for marriage equality is up from 42 percent eight years ago and 27 percent in 1996.

It matches a May, 2011 poll as the highest level of support Gallup has found since it began tracking the issue in 1996.

Young people (19 to 29-year-olds) in the US were most likely to support gay marriage at 73 percent.

Only 28 percent of those who indicated they attend church weekly were in support.

In last month’s US presidential elections, three states (Maine, Maryland and Washington) became the first to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote.

Voters in Minnesota also struck down a proposed constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman.

The new national poll of 1,015 adults was taken November 26-29 and has a margin of error of +/–4 percentage points.

Full breakdown here.