New Poll Says 60 Percent of Latinos Support Marriage Equality

A new NBC Latino/IBOPE Zogby survey reveals that a solid majority of Latinos support marriage equality:

"Thirty eight percent said they disagree and 31 percent said they did so strongly...The statistics don’t mean there is complete acceptance of gays by Latinos, however. When it came to the biggest disappointment a parent would feel regarding their children, 43 percent said it would be if their child became a drug addict. Going to prison was the biggest disappointment for 33 percent of those surveyed. But 10 percent said having a gay child would be their biggest issue, while only 5 percent said a teen pregnancy would be their greatest disappointment."

(h/t zack ford)

AP: Obama's Gay Marriage Endorsement Didn't Sway Voter Attitudes

The AP is trumpeting an Associated Press-GfK same-sex marriage survey released today as a referendum on Obama's endorsement:

The poll found that 42 percent of Americans oppose gay marriage, 40 percent support it and 15 percent are neutral. Last August, the country was similarly divided over whether same-sex couples should be allowed to be legally married in their state, with 45 percent opposing, 42 percent favoring and 10 percent neutral.

They say Obama's endorsement may have had an effect on core supporters, however:

More young people, liberals and Democrats say they strongly approve of Obama’s handling of same-sex marriage than said they did before he disclosed his new position last month.The country’s divisions — and conflictions — are clear in the voices of Americans.

Full poll data, AFTER THE JUMP...

CNN Poll Shows Massive Shift in Acceptance, Understanding of Gay People

CNN today released the results of a new poll which reveals a sharp trend in pro-gay American attitudes:

A CNN/ORC International survey released Wednesday also indicates that the number of Americans who say they have a close friend or family member who is gay has jumped from 49% in 2010 to 60% today, the first time in CNN polling that a majority of Americans have said that. In the 1990s, most Americans said they did not know anyone close to them who was gay.

"Attitudes toward sexual orientation have also changed over that same time period," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "In 1998, a majority believed that someone who is gay or lesbian could change their sexual orientation if they choose to do so. Today, only a third feel that way, and the number who say that gays and lesbians cannot change their orientation is almost six in ten. Those shifts probably explain the growing acceptance of same-sex marriage."

According to the survey, 54% now say that marriages between gay and lesbian couples should be recognized as valid by law, with 42% opposed. Sentiment is strong on both sides of the debate, with more than three-quarters of supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage saying that they feel strongly about that issue.

The poll also indicates strong partisan and generational divides, along the lines of what you would expect.

Full results HERE.

Gallup: Most Americans Did Not Evolve

On Friday, Gallup published the results of a poll which probed American opinions on the origins of the human species. The results: 46% of Americans believe in straight-up creationism, 32% believe in so-called "intelligent design," and a mere 15% believe humans evolved via natural selection.

Gallup conducted the poll with a random sample of 1,012 Americans. The demographic breakdown for responders was neatly summarized at CNN.com:

Nearly 70% of respondents who attend church every week said that God created humans in their present form, compared with 25% of people who seldom or never attend church.

Among the seldom church-goers, 38% believe that humans evolved with no guidance from God.

The numbers also showed a tendency to follow party lines, with nearly 60% of Republicans identifying as creationists, while 41% of Democrats hold the same beliefs.

Republicans also seem to be more black-and-white about their beliefs, with only 5% responding that humans evolved with some help from God. That number is much lower than the 19% of both independents and Democrats.

Over at Gallup, a helpful chart shows the evolution of Americans' opinions on evolution over the last 30 years. It's not pretty. Very little has changed since 1982, when 44% of Americans were creationists, 38% believed in "intelligent design," and 9% came out for natural selection.

Lest you think the Gallup results are mistaken, take a quick peek at the comments section over at CNN's coverage of the poll. It's a proud and appalling parade of ignorance.

Poll: Strong Support for Gay Marriage Now Exceeds Strong Opposition

Obama's endorsement may have shifted some opinions.

A new ABC News/Washington Post poll:

Overall, 53 percent of Americans say gay marriage should be legal, steady the past year but up from 36 percent in just 2006. Thirty-nine percent “strongly” support it, while 32 percent are strongly opposed – the first time strong sentiment has tilted positive. Six years ago, by contrast, strong views on the issue were negative by a broad 27-point margin.

Further, this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, finds that support for gay marriage has reached a new high among African-Americans in ABC/Post polls, up from four in 10 in recent surveys to 59 percent now.

Another result shows increasing exposure: Seventy-one percent of Americans now say they have a friend, family member or acquaintance who’s gay, up from 59 percent in 1998. People who know someone who’s gay are 20 points more likely than others to support gay marriage.

Regardless of that shift, Obama’s May 9 announcement of his support for gay marriage shows no measurable impact on political preferences.

Here's the poll (PDF).

Gallup Polling Says Acceptance of Gays is 'The New Normal'

Gallup put out some new data today and said "U.S. Acceptance of Gays/Lesbians is the New Normal":

The slight majority of American adults, 54%, consider gay or lesbian relations morally acceptable. Public acceptance of gay/lesbian relations as morally acceptable grew slowly but steadily from 38% in 2002 to 56% in 2011 and is now holding at the majority level.

This Gallup trend mirrors the growth in public support for legalizing gay marriage, which has risen from 42% support in 2004 to 50% or greater support in the last two years. Americans' support for gay rights on both questions leveled off in this year's Values and Beliefs poll, conducted May 3-6.

Gallup's longer-term question measuring U.S. attitudes about gays asks whether gay or lesbian relations should or should not be legal. The 63% now saying gay relations should be legal nearly matches the record-high 64% of a year ago, which came after a long-term increase in support for legality from 32% in 1986.

More at Gallup.