According to a comprehensive new analysis of public opinion surveys conducted over the last 15 years, support for the legalization of same-sex marriage has grown substantially in the United States. Professors Jeffrey Lax and Justin Phillips found among other conclusions reluctance among state and local policymakers to expand equal rights laws and protections even where majorities of voters support them.
The state-by-state analysis of polling data, titled "Gay Rights in the States: Public Opinion and Policy Responsiveness," tracks trends over time on eight policies affecting gay and lesbian rights: same-sex marriage, civil unions, employment non-discrimination, housing non-discrimination, hate crimes, second-parent adoption, health benefits for same-sex partners and sodomy laws.
The peer-reviewed findings will be published in August 2009 in American Political Science Review.
Read more about the study and find links to the paper on the Columbia News Research site and at USA Today.
