Two Big Surprises Inside New Poll About Americans’ Views on Gay Marriage and Religious Liberty

An Associated Press-GfK poll conducted between July 9 and July 13 — just weeks after gay marriage was nationally legalized — yielded at least two surprising results: America’s support for same-sex nuptials is down slightly from earlier this year, and support for religious exemptions for wedding-related businesses has increased since April 2015.

Forty-four percent favored same-sex marriage in their state in January, with that proportion increasing to 48 percent in April, but it was down to just 42 percent in the most recent research wave; 40 percent now oppose same-sex marriage.

As for the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex nuptials across the nation, 39 percent of respondents approved, with 41 percent expressing disagreement, the Associated Press reported.

More