Poll: Only Blacks Have Majority Opposition to Gay Marriage
Among blacks, Latinos and whites, blacks were the only racial or ethnic group in which a majority of respondents said they opposed gay marriage, in a Washington Post-ABC poll. On marijuana legalization, blacks are most supportive while Latinos are the least supportive.
Fifty-one percent of blacks, 45 percent of Latinos and 47 percent of whites said they oppose gay marriage in the Nov. 7 poll of 1,023 adults. The margin of error for the full sample is 3.5 percentage points.
In the full sample, a majority, 51 percent, said they support gay marriage, including 33 percent who say they strongly support gay marriage. Forty-seven percent said they oppose gay marriage, including 35 percent who say they strongly oppose gay marriage.
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The results are different than a recent Pew Research Center poll showing for the first time a plurality of blacks, 44 percent, favoring gay marriage, and only 39 percent opposed to gay marriage. The same poll showed 49 percent of whites favoring and 41 percent of whites opposed to gay marriage.
The Washington Post-ABC poll showed larger differences among age groups. A majority of those 65 and older, 66 percent, opposed gay marriage, while a majority of 18- to 39-year-olds, 59 percent, said they support gay marriage. The middle age group, 40- to 64-year-olds, were about evenly split -- 51 percent supported and 47 percent opposed gay marriage.
On the question of legalization of marijuana, the poll found that Latinos were mostly opposed, blacks were mostly supportive and whites were about evenly split.
When asked "do you support or oppose legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use?" 65 percent of Latinos were opposed and 54 percent of blacks were supportive. Among whites, 50 percent supported and 48 percent opposed marijuana legalization.
In last week's election, there were two ballot measures in Colorado and Washington favoring the legalization of marijuana that passed. Plus, four ballot measures dealing with marriage, in Maryland, Maine, Minnesota and Washington, were all won by proponents of gay marriage.
