Support for same-sex marriage has reached an all-time high, according to recent polls. A new survey from Gallup shows a record 60 percent of Americans now say they approve of legalized same-sex marriage.
The trend measured by Gallup closely matches results from other polls that have been measuring public opinion on same-sex marriage. An ABC/Washington Post poll conducted in April found that 61 percent of Americans approve. Similarly, a Quinnipiac University poll from the same month measured approval at 58 percent.
Approval of same-sex marriage has grown at a rapid rate in the last two decades. When Gallup first surveyed Americans on the issue in 1996, only 27 percent approved. Nineteen years later, that number has more than doubled, growing 5 points in the last month alone.
In fact, the shift in approval is one of the "fastest changes ever measured" by the General Social Survey, which has measured trends in American public opinion for the last 40 years.
Gallup finds that a majority of Democrats and independents favor legalizing same-sex marriage. Republicans are less inclined, with only 37 percent expressing support. Still, support among Republicans has been climbing within the last two decades, jumping 11 percentage points in the last three years.
The latest results come just one month before the Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage.
Gallup surveyed 1,024 adults via live telephone interviews conducted May 6-10.
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