Nearly 79% polled say they know or work with someone who is homosexual, which is an increase of 14 points since December.
According to the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 53% of people now support same-sex marriage, up two points since December, while 42% are opposed. The report states,
These numbers come after numerous Democratic politicians, plus a handful of Republicans, have recently announced their support for gay marriage. They also come as the Supreme Court is expected to decide two different cases this summer – one on the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law which prohibits the government from recognizing gay marriages performed in states where they are legal, and the other on California’s Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in that state.
The poll also finds that 63 percent of respondents believe the federal government should recognize same-sex marriages in states where they are legal, and 56 percent think that the question of allowing gay marriage should be left to a federal standard rather than to the states.
However, the poll also shows a big change on the issue of abortion. In a switch since January’s poll, 52% believe abortion should be illegal, while only 45% think it should be legal “always” or “most of the time.”
Photo: AP/Carolyn Kaster
According to USA Today the abortion rate fell 5%.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/21/usa-abortion-rate/1719583/
I wonder if the reduced support for abortion stems from people’s effective use of birth control. If more people start using birth control effectively, they may start to believe that those seeking abortions were simply being irresponsible.