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Latest poll finds uptick in both support, opposition to same-sex marriage

Latest poll finds uptick in both support, opposition to same-sex marriage

Just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court took up the issue of same-sex marriage in two highly publicized cases, a majority of Americans continue to say they support same-sex marriage, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released this week.

The survey of 1,000 adults showed 53 percent of respondents were in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, which marked a 2-point increase over a December NBC News/WSJ poll.

But the survey also found a narrowing in the “undecided” category, and recorded a 2-point increase in opposition as well; 42 percent of respondents are still against it.

By party, 73 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents back gay marriage, while 66 percent of Republicans oppose it.

Strikingly, nearly 8-in-10 respondents (79 percent) say they know or work with someone who is gay or lesbian, which is an increase of 14 points since December and 17 points since 2004.

However, only 15 percent say that knowing or working with someone gay makes them more likely to back same-sex marriage; 4 percent say it makes them less likely to support it, and more than half say it doesn’t make a difference.

The poll also found that 63 percent of respondents believe the federal government should recognize same-sex marriages in states where they are legal, and 56 percent said that legalizing same-sex marriage should be a federal standard, and not left to the states.

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