A new poll revealed that support for same-sex marriage is continuing to decline. The poll, conducted by the Economist/YouGov, asked Americans if they believe same-sex marriage should be legal.
While same-sex marriage has been legal since the 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, some states have pushed back and have urged for it to be a states’ rights issue. According to the survey results, 54% of Americans believe it should be legal, while 32% it should not be legal. 13% of respondents were unsure.
The poll further asked Americans if they believe Israel is committing genocide, if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested, if a nuclear war is likely to occur in the next five years, and various questions pertaining to President Trump, among other topics.
A June poll from Gallup similarly found that support for same-sex marriage is on the decline compared to previous years. The survey found that 65% of Americans favor same-sex marriages, down from its peak in 2022 and 2023. The poll said Republicans are the cause of the downward shift. Most of the recent changes in LGBTQ+ attitudes have occurred among Republicans. “For example, in 2021 and 2022, 55% of Republicans said they favored legal same-sex marriage, but today, the figure is 37%,” Gallup wrote. “Among independents, support has dropped six points, to 67%, while Democrats’ views are the same as in 2022 (87% in favor).”
Justice Clarence Thomas has expressed an interest in revisiting the Obergefell decision. In his concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, Thomas argued that the Court should “reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents,” suggesting that the legal foundations of same-sex marriage could be subject to future challenges.
