Republicans and Democrats are more divided in their support for same-sex marriage than they’ve been at any point since Gallup began polling the issue nearly 30 years ago.
The May 2025 poll shows a 47-point gap between parties: 88 percent of Democrats and 41 percent of Republicans said marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriage.
Last year, Republicans and Democrats were separated by 37 points; in 2023, they were separated by 35 points; in 2022, by 32 points; and in 2021, by 28 points. In 2020, 34 points separated the two groups.
The latest poll shows GOP support fell to its lowest point since 2016 — when 40 percent supported same-sex marriage — one year after the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges ruling declared the practice constitutional. Â
But Republican support has been on the decline since it peaked at 55 percent in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, support fell to 49 percent; and last year, it fell to 46 percent, before falling another 5 points this year.
Democratic support, meanwhile, rose by 5 points since last year, reaching its highest level of support since Gallup began polling the issue in 1996.
Democratic support has been relatively stable in the last decade, with the previous peak reaching 87 percent in 2022.
Independents’ support has also been steadily rising in the past decade. The latest poll shows 76 percent of independents supporting same-sex marriage, just shy of its 2023 peak of 77 percent.
Just more than two-thirds — 68 percent — of U.S. adults overall said they support same-sex marriage, a level that has been relatively consistent since 2020. Support peaked in 2022 and 2023 at 71 percent.
The survey included 1,003 adults and was conducted May 1-18. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.
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