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

The scene in the Village during Pride Sunday in 2021.
The scene in the Village during Pride Sunday in 2021.
Donna Aceto

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.