POLL: Majority of voters in non-marriage states support the freedom to marry

A new poll conducted by Anzalone Liszt Grove Research demonstrates majority support for the freedom to marry in non-marriage states, with 51% of respondents, on average, saying they are supportive. This poll is the first of its kind of isolate the survey only to states where same-sex couples do not have the freedom to marry. When the poll was conducted in December 2013, that roster of states included 34 states (Same-sex couples currently can marry in 17 states, but New Mexico's ruling came down after this poll was conducted). Just 41% of respondents said they were opposed. 

Today's survey also segmented polling to different regions of the country (see below) and found strong support in three distinct areas of the country. The strongest support came from the central region of the country (IN, KS, MI, MO, ME, ND, OH, PA, SD, WI), where 59% of respondents said they support marriage, and only 36% said they do not. In the western non-marriage states (AK, AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WY), 53% said they support marriage, with 34% opposed. And even in the South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV), voters are split evenly, with 46% in favor and 46% opposed. 

The survey also found that voters overwhelmingly believe that it is likely that marriage will be extended to same-sex couples in their state in a couple of years. 56% of the respondents said they find that likely - and even among those who expressed that they personally oppose the freedom to marry, 49% agreed that their state would likely have the freedom to marry in a matter of years. 

Freedom to Marry founder and president Evan Wolfson explained the significance of the poll today. He said: 

The findings of today’s poll show that support for the freedom to marry in America is not limited to coastal states or politically liberal states, or even states that have ended discrimination. Instead, Americans all across the country have opened their hearts and minds and followed their values of fairness and freedom to move in support of the freedom to marry. This accelerating nationwide support lines up with the legal victories we’ve seen in more conservative states, including Utah and Oklahoma, and explains why the reaction to these court rulings was largely positive. America is ready for the freedom to marry.

You can read the entire polling memo HERE