In a Gallup poll that was released last Thursday, some interesting findings concerning attitudes toward acceptance of same-sex marriage and attitudes toward same-sex relations.
Stability in Americans’ backing for same-sex marriage masks shifts in partisans’ views over the same period. Democrats’ support has risen to 88%, the record high for this group by one percentage point. Independents’ backing for same-sex marriage has been relatively stable in recent years and currently stands at 76%, one point shy of the record high.
At the same time, Republicans’ support, which peaked at 55% in 2021 and 2022, has gradually edged down to 41%, the lowest point since 2016 after the Obergefell decision.
The current 47-point gap between Republicans and Democrats is the largest since Gallup first began tracking this measure 29 years ago.
Gallup doesn't comment on why these changes have occurred. I speculate it is because a number of former Democrats who opposed same-sex marriage have, in the interim, become Republicans, and vice versa.
During this same period the number of those leaning Republican has become larger than those leaning Democrat for the first time, perhaps ever. The difference between Democrats' and Republicans' poll outcomes being due to the larger number of former Ds who've become Rs.
