April 5, 2009 Study sheds new light on young-adult and religious
attitudes toward same-sex marriage A recent analysis of public
opinion data by the organization Public Religion Research
reveals some interesting findings about Americans' attitudes
toward same-sex marriage: - Younger Americans are much more
supportive of marriage equality. Almost half (46%) of young
adults (age 18-34) support same-sex marriage, compared to less
than a third (29%) of all Americans. - Attitudes on same-sex
marriage are shifting significantly among young people. In 2006,
the American Values Survey found that 37% of young adults
(18-34) supported same-sex marriage. Two years later, almost
half (46%) of young adults now support same-sex marriage, an
increase of 9 points. - Support for same-sex marriage is
significant among some young religious Americans. Among young
(18-34) white mainline Protestants and Catholics, close to half
(48% and 44% respectively) support same-sex marriage. Among
young evangelicals (18-34), a majority favor