Northern Ireland Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Same-Sex Marriage In Wake of Neighboring Irish Referendum Vote

A new Ipsos MORI poll indicates that opinions favoring gay marriage in Northern Ireland have increased since Ireland passed its marriage referendum in May, and that more people in Northern Ireland believe same-sex couples be allowed to marry compared with their southern neighbors reports The Belfast Telegraph.

The survey says 68 percent of Northern Ireland adults believe same-sex couples deserve the right to marry, with the figures rising to 82 percent among 16 to 34-year-olds and 75 percent among 35 to 54-year-olds. However, figures fell to 47 percent of adults over the age of 55. The MORI survey gathered data from a representative sample of 1,000 adults ages 16 and up across Northern Ireland; subjects were interviewed face-to-face between May 20 and June 8 with data weighted to match the populations profile.

The survey indicates a huge shift in attitude compared with last year’s Belfast Telegraph/Lucid Talk poll that found only 50.5 percent of those polled supporting gay marriage while 49.5 percent opposed it. Same-sex marriage is still illegal in Northern Ireland however, Northern Ireland couples Grainne Close and Shannon Sickles, and Chris and Henry Flanagan-Kane are filing a high court challenge that could ultimately bring gay marriage to the country.