Support for same-sex marriage hits new low, poll shows
FILE-Same-sex marriage supporters rejoice after the U.S Supreme Court hands down a ruling regarding same-sex marriage June 26, 2015 outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Advocacy for same-sex marriage experienced a slight decline among Americans compared to previous years based on a new poll that reveals support for same-sex marriage has declined compared data to several years ago, according to Gallup.
Data and responses were gathered for Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, which is based on telephone interviews conducted between May 1–17, 2026, with a sample of 1,001 adults, 18 years old and older living in the United States.
Support for same-sex marriage drops slightly
Dig deeper:
Approximately 65% of Americans still favor same-sex legal marriage which is down six percentage points from the peak in 2022 and 2023.
Meanwhile, the number of people viewing gay or lesbian relations as morally acceptable, 62%, has not been lower since 2016. And the number of Americans who consider changing one's gender morally acceptable has dropped eight points over the past five years, to 38%, according to Gallup’s poll.
RELATED: What's changed after 20 years of same-sex marriage in the US
In 2001, Gallup initially asked about the morality of same-sex marriages, when 40% admitted they were morally acceptable. And a year later, in 2022, approximately 71% had that stance, before a steep decline to 64% in 2023, maintaining that level over the past three years.
And when Gallup first asked about changing one's gender in 2021, 46% of respondents said it was morally acceptable, compared to 51% who believed it morally wrong. Now, those numbers are at 38% and 57%.
Political parties weigh-in on same-sex marriages
The other side:
Gallup found that most of the recent changes in LGBTQ+ beliefs have occurred among Republicans. The survey found that in 2021 and 2022, 55% of Republicans admitted that they favored legal same-sex marriage, but now, that number has fallen to 37%.
Independents' support for same-sex marriage has dropped six points, to 67%, compared to Democrats’ views, which remain the same as they were in 2022, with 87% in favor of it.
RELATED: Supreme Court rejects call to overturn decision legalizing same-sex marriage in US
The poll noted that political parties' stances have also declined through the years regarding the morality of gay or lesbian relations. Republicans, who say such relations are morally acceptable, have fallen 21 points to 35%, compared with an eight-point drop among independents to 64% and 81% among Democrats.
Today, only 5% of Republicans believe changing one’s gender is morally acceptable, compared with 42% of independents and 60% of Democrats.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, which used telephone interviews conducted between May 1-17, 2026, along with a sample of 1,001 adults, 18 years old and older living in the U.S. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.