Most Americans agree with recent court rulings that gay marriage is a constitutional right, according to a Washington Post/ABC poll released Friday -- the latest in a slew of evidence that support for gay marriage has solidified as the mainstream position.
Fifty percent of those surveyed agree that regardless of their own views toward gay marriage, they thought that the part of the U.S. Constitution providing Americans with equal protection under the law gives gays and lesbians the legal right to marry. Another 43 percent disagree.
Opinions remain marked by wide partisan and demographic differences. Seventy-four percent of self-described liberals, but just 29 percent of conservatives, believe that gay marriage is constitutionally protected. Also stark is the variation among age groups: 60 percent of Americans ages 18 to 39 say the Constitution provides for gay marriage, compared to just 38 percent of those 65 and older.
Overall support for gay marriage stands at 56 percent in the Post/ABC poll, roughly the same level it's been at since 2013.
Other surveys have shown support for gay marriage continuing to slowly tick up after a period of more rapid growth from about 2009 to 2011. The most recent Gallup poll, taken in May, put support at 55 percent, while a March Pew Research poll found 54 percent in favor.
The Post/ABC poll surveyed 1,002 adults between May 29 and June 1, using live phone calls to both landlines and cell phones.
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