Majority of Americans now support same-sex marriage, a huge shift from the trend just five years ago, the Pew Research Center found out in a recent survey.
Today, 57 percent of Americans favour allowing same-sex marriage while 39 percent oppose, compared to five years ago when 48 percent were against such marriage and only 42 percent supported it, according to a report from The Gospel Herald.
The survey, which asked 2,000 legal-age adults from May 12 to 18 whether homosexuality should be accepted or discouraged by society, comes as the public awaits the Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage.
In terms of party affiliations, only 34 percent of Republicans support same-sex marriage compared to 65 percent of Democrats who do.
"Growing shares of all three groups support same-sex marriage, yet the differences between Democrats and Republicans are as wide today as they were a decade ago," the Pew Research survey noted.
Majorities of whites and Hispanics, at 59 percent and 56 percent, respectively, favour same-sex marriage. Only 41 percent of African Americans are in favour of this kind of union.
Among age groups, support for same-sex marriage becomes stronger as the age bracket goes lower. About 73 percent of millennials (ages 34 and younger) favour such union, compared to 59 percent of Gen Xers (ages 35-50), 45 percent of Baby Boomers (ages 51-69) and 39 percent of the Silent Generation (ages 70 and higher).
In terms of religion, only 27 percent of evangelical Protestants support the marriage of gays and lesbians, compared to 56 percent of Catholics, 62 percent of mainline Protestants, and 85 percent of religiously unaffiliated.
Only a third of Americans feel an internal conflict between religious beliefs and homosexuality although Pew Research noted that "the view that homosexuality and one's personal religious beliefs are in conflict remains a powerful factor in opposition to same-sex marriage."
"Fully 76 percent of those who see no such conflict favour allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally," the survey showed.
