a slim majority of Americans now say it should be legal for same-sex couples to marry. --- it's a good thing America is not a democracy.
On Jun 12, 7:02 am, Bruce Majors <[email protected]> wrote: > Poll: Slim majority backs same-sex marriage > [image: Same-sex marriage supporters demonstrate in front of the Supreme > Court on March 27, 2013 in Washington, DC.] > > Same-sex marriage supporters demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court on > March 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. / JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/GETTY IMAGES > > - > > 56 Comments > > <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57588131/poll-slim-majority-backs...> > / > - Shares/ > - Tweets/ > - Stumble/ > - > Email<?subject=Your%20friend%20has%20shared%20a%20CBSNews%20link%20with%20y > ou&body=Poll%3A%20Slim%20majority%20backs%20same-sex%20marriage%0Dhttp%3A%2 > F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2F8301-250_162-57588131%2Fpoll-slim-majority-backs-sa...> > - More + > > *Polling analysis by Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Anthony Salvanto and > Fred Backus* > > Ahead of two significant Supreme Court decisions on the subject of same-sex > marriage, a new CBS News/ New York Times poll shows a slim majority of > Americans now say it should be legal for same-sex couples to marry. > > Fifty-one percent of Americans nationwide say they support the cause, > according to the poll, conducted May 31-June 4, while 44 percent do not. > > There continue to be striking partisan and age differences: 61 percent of > Democrats and 56 percent of independents think same-sex couples should be > permitted to marry, but just 33 percent of Republicans agree. Young > Americans, those ages 18 to 29, are especially likely to support same-sex > marriage (68 percent), while those who are older are less likely to. > > These views have been fairly consistent for the last few months, but they > are a reversal of what they were a year ago. In May 2012, just after > President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage, a slight > majority of Americans said it should *not* be legal for same-sex couples to > marry. > > CBSNEWS > > Since then, the Supreme Court has heard arguments in two major cases > broaching the issue of same-sex marriage: *Hollingsworth v. Perry* reviews > the constitutionality of California's same-sex marriage ban, Proposition 8. > That case gives the court the opportunity to define marriage as a > constitutionally-protected right for both straight and gay couples. *United > States v. Windsor* challenges the constitutionality of the Defense of > Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law defining marriage as between a man and a > woman. The court is expected to hand down rulings in both cases by the end > of the month. > > Knowing someone who is gay or lesbian is a key factor in how Americans feel > about same-sex marriage, the latest survey shows. Two-thirds of those with > a close friend, relative or work colleague who is gay or lesbian say > same-sex marriage should be legal, but most Americans without such a close > relationship say those marriages should not be legal. > > In addition, 56 percent of Americans think the federal government should > legally recognize existing same-sex marriages and provide them the same > federal benefits the government provides to heterosexual married couples. > This is the question the Supreme Court is considering in the *Windsor* case. > > While the Supreme Court is sure to impact the debate over same-sex > marriage, state lawmakers continue to take up the issue as well. When asked > who should decide this issue, 60 percent of Americans think it should be > left up to each individual state government. A third say it should be > determined by the federal government, up from 26 percent in March and > similar to where it was last year. > > Affirmative action, Voting Rights Act > > Along with same-sex marriage, the Supreme Court this month will hand down > rulings on the issues of affirmative action and civil rights: In *Fisher v. > University of Texas at Austin*, the court to rule on whether the > university's consideration of race in admissions is constitutional. *Shelby > County v. Holder* considers the constitutionality of Section 5 in the > Voting Rights Act. > > In general, 53 percent of Americans support affirmative action programs in > hiring, promoting and college admissions, while 38 percent oppose such > programs. There are stark racial differences, however. Three-quarters of > African Americans favor affirmative action programs, compared to just 46 > percent of whites. > > - The Supreme Court's 4 big remaining > cases<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57587453/the-supreme-courts-4-big...> > > When Americans are asked the reason they support these programs, by a wide > margin more say diversity than making up for past discrimination. When > given the choice between the two, 63 percent say they favor affirmative > action programs in order to increase diversity, while just 24 percent say > they support such programs to make up for past discrimination. > > The Voting Rights Act was passed in the 1960's to prevent state and local > governments from using procedures to block black Americans from voting. > Today, there is division among the American public on whether that law is > necessary to make sure that blacks are allowed to vote: 49 percent say the > law is necessary, but 44 percent say it is not. Here too, race is a factor. > Black Americans are significantly more likely than whites to say the Voting > Rights Act is still necessary. > > Most Democrats (59 percent) think the Voting Rights Act is still necessary, > while 55 percent of Republicans disagree. There are some regional > differences as well. Northeasterners are the geographical group most likely > to say the Voting Rights Act is still necessary while Southerners are the > least likely to say that. > > When asked generally about what role the justices' own views play in their > decisions, 68 percent think the current Supreme Court justices sometimes > let their own personal or political views influence their decisions, while > just 20 percent believe they decide cases based only on legal analysis. > Republicans, Democrats and independents agree. > > Forty-four percent of Americans approve of the job the Supreme Court is > doing, while 40 percent disapprove. These ratings are similar to what they > were in March. > > Affirmative Action > > ------------------------------ > > Do You Favor or Oppose Affirmative Action Programs for Minorities? > > ** > ------------------------------ > *This poll was conducted by telephone from May 31-June 4, 2013 among 1,022 > adults nationwide. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News/The > New York Times by Social Science Research Solutions of Media, PA. Phone > numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell > phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample > could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups may > be higher. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. This poll > release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on > Public Polls.* > > *See next page for full poll results.* > > - no previous page > > - next > > <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57588131/poll-slim-majority-backs...> > > 1/2 -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
