Data bite

Christian Century, July 26, 2003

In a Gallup poll for USA Today and CNN, taken after the U.S. Supreme Court decision on sodomy, more than six in ten Americans polled said consensual gay sex should be legal, while 37 percent said sodomy should be criminalized. As for whether homosexuality is "morally acceptable," a slight majority--54 percent--said that "homosexuality should be considered an acceptable alternative lifestyle." Forty-three percent said it is not acceptable.

Asking adult Americans also what they think about same-sex marriage, the pollsters found that while a majority oppose it, the ratio of opposition is eroding and that support is strongest among young adults. The poll found 55 percent of all respondents oppose gay marriage, down from 68 percent in 1996. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they favor the right of gay men and lesbians to marry.