Gallup poll shows dip in support for same-sex relations; marriage equality holds firm

New polling by Gallup is indicating that support for same-sex relations dipped in the last year, but views on marriage equality have held steady.

Support for same-sex relations dipped from the record-high 71% in 2022 to 64% in 2023, according to the poll. The 7% decline coincides with upticks in anti-LGBTQ laws and rhetoric from politicians. Support for birth control also dropped by 4%, though abortion remained steady.

However, according to Gallup data, support for same-sex marriage has remained the same, with 71% of those living in the US expressing that it should be recognized, with most supporters being Democrats, adults between the ages of 18 and 29, and “infrequent churchgoers.”

Just 41% of people who attend church weekly said they support same-sex marriage, while that number climbed to 67% for those who attend church nearly every week or monthly and 83% among those who attend church less often.

Support for marriage equality sits at 78% among those between the ages of 30 and 49 and 59% among those 50 to 64. That number is largely the same — 60% — for people 65 and older.

For both same-sex marriages and relations, support has remained at higher levels than in decades past, and even as recently as 2014 when the figure for Republican support of same-sex relations was only 39%. Yet, nearly a decade later, only 41% of Republicans believe that same-sex relations are morally acceptable, compared to the 56% of 2022, and only 49% of Republicans believe that same-sex marriages are valid. 

The most recent polling, which came from Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs poll, was conducted during the first three weeks of May.