John and Elizabeth Edwards, and their daughter Kate, have differing views on gay marriage. Recent polls indicate that younger Americans are more supportive of gay rights than their parents. (Photo by Kristie Bull/Graylock.com/AP)
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ELIZABETH PERRY
Friday, July 06, 2007
A few weeks after John and Elizabeth Edwards made their differing views on gay marriage public, a flurry of polls on gay issues suggests the Edwards family appears to be in step with the rest of America on the debate.
During a June 25 appearance on NBC’s “Tonight Show,” John Edwards told host Jay Leno that he disagrees with his wife on the issue of gay marriage.
“It’s not the only thing we disagree about,” he said. “A lot of people I love and care about feel the same way Elizabeth does. I’m very strong about ending discrimination against gay and lesbian couples. But I’m not quite where Elizabeth is yet.”
Elizabeth Edwards previewed that assessment during a joint interview with her husband on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” last December at the beginning of his campaign. She also said their daughter Kate, a 24-year-old student at Cambridge, has talked with children of Republican and Democratic politicians her age and believes the issue will “disappear with their generation.”
A joint poll conducted June 15-29 by the New York Times, CBS News and MTV examined the attitudes of 659 individuals and put them into two groups, ages 17-29 and older adults. The survey found younger people had more progressive attitudes toward gay marriage and civil unions. Some 290 respondents in the 17-29 age group said gay couples should be allowed to marry, compared to 184 of the older respondents.
The study also found 158 younger and 211 older adults said gay couples should be able to enter into civil unions, but not legally marry. Some 198 younger and 231 older individuals think gay relationships should not receive any legal recognition.
Evan Wolfson, director of Freedom to Marry, said differing attitudes about marriage equality could be because the younger respondents grew up in a time of greater visibility and open discussion of gays and lesbians.
“The key to changing hearts is getting people to hear from and about real people,” he said, “rather than approach it in the hypothetical or with just scary rhetoric or abstractions. That’s why getting gay and non-gay people to talk about why marriage matters for real couples and kids, reaching out to the people around us and asking them for their support is so crucial.”
Men, older adults ages 50 and above, those without a college education, evangelical Protestants and regular churchgoers were more likely to oppose gay marriage according to the latest Pew Research Council poll released July 1. It indicated 1,151 opposed gay marriage compared to 869, who favor it.
The poll consisted of a telephone survey conducted Feb. 16 through March 14 using a random sample of 2,020 men and women. In a similar survey conducted in March 2006, 1,030 people opposed same-sex marriage and 999 favored it. The survey said the 2006 level of opposition was similar to 2003 and 2004.
Lower numbers of Americans oppose civil unions than gay marriage. The poll said 929 opposed civil unions and 909 were in support of them. Evangelical Protestants, regular churchgoers and Republicans represented the majority of the opposition to civil unions.
The Pew Forum study also indicated that half of the respondents, 1,010, said gay parenting is “bad for society.” Some 687 were neutral on the subject and 222 said it was “good for society.” More men than women opposed gay parenting, with 1,192 men and 849 women against it. Some 828 men are in favor of it, compared to 1,172 women. The results also compared women’s attitudes from a 1997 survey on the subject, when 1,131 of women felt gay parenting was bad for society, to 2007 figures.
“The negative reaction has fallen across the board among women, regardless of age, education and marital status,” according to the 2007 survey.
Majority says sexuality innate
Results of a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation telephone poll conducted June 22 through 24 found that 56 percent of the 515 individuals surveyed think that sexual orientation is unchangeable.
Christine Robinson, professor of sociology at James Madison University, said there are a number of factors that can influence public opinion around sexual orientation. These include media reports on scientific studies, positions adopted by professional organizations, such as the American Psychological Association and American Medical Association, and the work of advocacy organizations on behalf of gays and lesbians.
“It is interesting that even prominent leaders in the ex-gay movement have substantially backed away from claims about changing sexual orientation,” she said. “They tend to focus more on changing sexual behavior and sexual identity. This does appear to represent a societal shift in thinking rather than merely a trend.”
The latest poll results show a steady increase in this belief during the past 20 years. In 1977, 13 percent thought people were born gay. CNN.com reported that the numbers stayed below 20 percent in the late ’70s and through the ’80s, but climbed to 36 percent in 1998 and 45 percent in 2001.
Some 39 percent of respondents in the 2007 poll said they believe people are born gay, while 42 percent thought homosexuality is directly related to upbringing and environment. Robinson said sociological research has shown that people’s beliefs about the origin of sexual orientation shape how they feel about gays.
“Those who believe homosexuality is innate tend to be more accepting of homosexuality,” she said. “Those who believe that homosexuality is chosen tend to believe that homosexually identified people can and should change their sexuality.
The latest Pew Research poll of 2,020 respondents showed 970 Democrats opposed gay marriage, compared to 848 who favored it. Among Republicans, 1,576 opposed and 283 favored gay marriage.
Another poll, conducted by Fabrizio, McLaughlin and Associates and underwritten by the Log Cabin Republicans and three other Republican groups, was released June 27. The poll surveyed 2,000 self-identified Republican voters May 28 through June 3 and found that 860 support gay marriage or civil unions and 1,020 oppose all relationship recognition.
Patrick Sammon, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, said the results are encouraging for the party. He said that as more gays and lesbians come out, acceptance grows.
“This poll shows assumptions some people have about Republicans and what they believe are wrong,” he said. “There are people in the Republican Party who are anti-gay, but rank and file Republicans are more supportive of basic fairness for people.”
The figures in response to gay issues show 1,540 respondents, including 1,340 social conservatives, think employees should not be fired on the basis of sexual orientation. Republicans who think gays should be able to serve openly in the military numbered 980. On the other hand, 360 respondents think gays should not have workplace protections against discrimination, including 94 social conservatives. More than half of respondents, some 840 Republicans, think gays should not be able to serve openly.
Sammon said the poll shows there is still work to be done to sway Republican voters on gay issues. He said gays and lesbians need to continue sharing their stories with friends and coworkers and living their lives openly and honestly to put a human face on gay issues.
“The key to success now and in the future is people stepping forward courageously,” he said.
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