More Americans believe religious freedom should prevail over gay rights after the Supreme Court decided to legalise same-sex marriage throughout the United States, a recent survey showed.
Fifty-six percent of the 1,004 adults questioned in an Associated Press-GfK poll said the freedom to exercise one's faith should take precedence over homosexuals' civil liberties.
Of the religious denominations in the US, evangelical Christians expressed the biggest disapproval of same-sex marriage, with seven in every 10 respondents disagreeing with the Supreme Court ruling on gay unions.
Some 79 percent of evangelicals also said that local officials should be allowed not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Fifty-two percent of members of the Protestant denomination who participated in the survey also opposed same-sex marriage. Sixty percent supported the refusal of marriage licenses to gay couples.
The same poll also found out that support for same-sex marriage declined after the Supreme Court ruling.
In the online survey conducted last July 9 to July 13, the Associated Press-GfK found out that 41 percent did not agree with the Supreme Court's decision to allow same-sex marriage in the US, a ruling handed down last June 26.
This figure is lower compared to results of an earlier poll conducted in January and February, which showed 44 percent of respondents expressing support for gay marriage.
In the latest survey, only 39 percent agreed to same-sex unions. An additional 18 percent did not have a categorical stand on the issue.
The poll also revealed that 59 percent of the respondents think wedding-related businesses should be allowed to refuse their services to same-sex couples. This figure is higher compared with 52 percent in the earlier poll.
In terms of partisan divisions, an overwhelming number of Republican respondents—82 percent in the survey—said religious liberties are more important compared to gay rights.
