Due to all the controversy surrounding the United States Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage in late June 2015, it rapidly became unclear whether or not the American people were actually in favor of the ruling. Some people took to the streets to celebrate with rainbow-colored flags but it seemed as if just as many rose up in protest, citing violations of religious freedoms and states’ rights. To make some sense amidst all the noise and confusion, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey of just over 2,000 Americans between July 14th – July 20th, 2015. The results they found were interesting, to say the least.
(View the full results here: http://www.people-press.org/2015/07/29/negative-views-of-supreme-court-at-record-high-driven-by-republican-dissatisfaction/#views-of-same-sex-marriage-health-care-law-following-court-decisions)
Same-Sex Marriage Holds Support, Supreme Court Does Not
From what they were able to determine from the extrapolated survey results, 54% of Americans decidedly support same-sex marriage rights while only 39% are staunchly opposed to them. This is pretty good news for LGBTQ activists, who were fearing a decline in support after some surveys earlier this month predicted approval ratings as low as 42%. Pew Research concluded that shortly before the Supreme Court’s ruling, 57% approved same-sex marriages, so the impact of the decision is quite minimal, if noticeable at all.
On the other hand, there seems to be a clear decline in approval of the Supreme Court itself. In less than a decade, its approval ratings dropped from 72% to 48%, whereas disapproval ratings shot from 17% to 43%. At first it might seem like an impossible contrast to the percentage of supporters of same-sex marriage laws but analysts are already picking out the reasons behind the numbers. It would appear that many Americans are not opposed to same-sex marriage itself but rather disagree with how the law became ratified.
For more information about family law disputes and divorce concerns in wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling, you can contact a York divorce attorney from Ilkhanoff & Silverstein. With our 30+ years of combined legal experience and extensive list of appreciate client testimonials, you can be sure that we are able to handle your care with both compassion and efficiency. Schedule your confidential consultation today.
