The first national, public opinion poll of 2013 on marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples, released Tuesday by the Respect for Marriage Coalition, found that a growing bipartisan majority of registered voters support marriage rights.

Three-quarters of voters believe that the freedom to marry is a constitutional right, and an even higher 83 percent believe that marriage for same-sex couples will become legal nationwide in the next decade, according to the survey, conducted by Anzalone Liszt Grove Research.

The poll also found that an overwhelming majority of voters of all political persuasions, including those who personally oppose marriage equality, believe that granting same-sex couples the same legal right to marry as heterosexual couples is likely to happen: 77 percent said they believe that marriage for gays and lesbians will be legal in the United States in “the next couple of years,”

The finding reflects a double-digit increase in voters’ opinions on the issue in just two years.

The Respect for Marriage Coalition is a partnership of more than 80 civil rights, faith, health, labor, business, legal, LGBT, student, and women’s organizations working together to end the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and grow support for the freedom to marry.

The Coalition is co-chaired by Freedom to Marry and the Human Rights Campaign.

Tags: Anzalone Liszt Grove Research, Freedom to Marry, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Marriage Equality, Poll, Respect for Marriage Coalition

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