A new poll reveals that public support for same-sex marriage is rising in all 50 states -- including the ones that still haven't legalized the institution for same-sex couples.
The report, released by Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and Drexel University, tracks changing public attitudes between the current day and 2004, yielding these encouraging results. According to a press release sent to The Huffington Post, even the state with the lowest support for same-sex marriage -- Alabama -- saw support more than double between 2004 and estimates for 2016. The study also found that in 2014, Vermont was the state with the highest level of public support at 75 percent and the District of Columbia had 86 percent support.
Another key finding of the report included public support in every state has increased, on average, 2.6 percent every year since 2004, while rising 6.2 percent every year since 2012.
“There have been some assertions that attitudes in states like Alabama have not changed when it comes to marriage equality,” Andrew Flores, co-author of the report and public opinion and policy fellow at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, said in a statement. “Actually, as time goes on, those states will be the states where we should expect to see even more change.”
This is welcome news in wake of the Supreme Court gearing up to address the issue of same-sex marriage again later this month. On April 28, the Court will hear oral arguments on whether states have the right to pass laws outlawing same-sex marriage.
Want to see some beautiful photos of same-sex couples at their weddings? Head here.
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