Special Report by the North Carolina Family Policy Council

American attitudes towards legalizing "same-sex marriage" have not experienced any major changes over the past two years with the majority of Americans remaining opposed to "same-sex marriage," according to a new Gallup Poll. When asked if "marriages" between homosexuals should be given the same legal status as traditional marriages, 58 percent of Americans are opposed while 39 percent are in support. Though a majority of Americans oppose "same-sex marriage," only 50 percent favor a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and woman. Conversely, 47 percent are against such an amendment. The average level of support for this constitutional amendment has remained the same since 2003. It is worth noting that Gallup's findings result from a national poll. Polling data from North Carolina finds higher support for a constitutional amendment. A 2004 Elon University poll found 57 percent of North Carolinians supporting a constitutional amendment.

Many cultural divisions, such as age, gender, and religion, reveal different patterns of attitudes toward "same-sex marriage." Younger age groups and women tend to be stronger advocates of marriage rights for homosexuals. Additionally, 77 percent of highly religious Americans who attend church on a regular basis strongly oppose "same-sex marriage." Approximately 51 percent of individuals who seldom or never attend religious services believe that "same-sex marriages" should be given the same legal rights as traditional marriages between a man and woman.

Another recent Gallup Poll asked Americans to share their beliefs about the moral acceptability of other social issues. Sex between an unmarried man and woman is considered to be morally acceptable by 59 percent of respondents, while having a baby outside of marriage is considered acceptable by 51 percent. The moral acceptability of gambling has decreased in recent years to 60 percent.

Divorce is seen as morally acceptable by 67 percent of Americans, while only 24 percent believe that divorcing a spouse is morally wrong. This percentage has remained relatively steady in recent years. Americans are closely divided on the moral acceptability of abortion, with 43 percent believing that abortion is acceptable and 44 percent considering it morally wrong.