Poll finds record support for same-sex marriage among Americans
A poll has found that a record 60% of Americans support same-sex marriage.
Carried out by Gallup, the poll has been taken every year since 1996 – when support was just 27% across all Americans.
Last year, 55% of people supported the right of same-sex couples to get married.
There is a sharp divide in the the amount of people who are supportive based on political party. 76% of Democrats are supportive, compared with just 37% of Republicans.
26% of people said that it was crucial that a candidate agreed with their view on same-sex marriage before they would consider voting for them – with 43% saying it was an important factor among others.
Those who do not agree with same-sex marriage were more likely to say they would only vote for a candidate who shared their views, 37% compared with 21% of those who do support equal marriage.
Gallup point out that this could cause problems for the Republican candidate in the upcoming presidential election. With national support do high, and no Republican candidate coming out in support, it might prove a key issue.
Democrat frontrunner Hillary Clinton has been vocal in her support, with her campaign announcement video featuring a range of Americans discussing their plans for the future, including Jared Milrad and his partner who spoke about their plans to marry.
The video also briefly featured a lesbian couple – who later revealed they’d had “no idea” what the footage would be used for.
