Gallup: Record 7 in 10 in U.S. support same-sex marriage

June 8 (UPI) -- Seven out of 10 people in the United States support same-sex marriage, according to a Gallup survey Tuesday -- the highest share ever recorded by the pollster.

The mark is up 10% from a 2015 Supreme Court ruling that said that all states must recognize same-sex unions.

The increase is partly due to changing attitudes among Republicans, Gallup said.

Tuesday's survey said a majority of Republicans (55%) approve of same-sex marriage for the first time since Gallup started following the trend, along with 83% of Democrats and 73% of independents.

Gallup said views of same-sex marriage among Americans have changed in a relatively short period of time and have formed "a new consensus."

"Once opponents of legalization, Republicans have mostly come to back it," Gallup wrote. "Court and legislative challenges to the legal status of same-sex marriage have simmered down since the Supreme Court issued its decision.

"Meanwhile, older U.S. adults, who were once holdouts in support for gay marriage, now come down on the same side of the issue as young adults."

Support for same-sex marriage grew among those over 55 from 51% in 2019 to 60% last month. Eighty-four percent of adults 18-34 support gay marriage as do 72% of those 35-54.

The results are part of data from Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll, conducted May 3-18. Gallup surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. adults for the survey, which has a margin of error of 4 points.