Support for gay marriage has fallen for the third consecutive year. Much of the shift has been driven by Republicans, though support has also softened among independents.
According to a new Gallup survey, Americans’ support for LGBTQ causes is on the decline. For example, only 65% of US adults say that same-sex marriage should be legal. That marks three consecutive years of decline. Support is now -6 percentage points below the record high of 71% reached in 2023.
What’s more, the share of Americans who say same-sex relationships are morally acceptable has fallen from 71% in 2023 to 62% this year. That’s a -9 percentage point decline.
While Gallup’s data on gender identity are more limited, the trend points in a similar direction. Since 2021, the share of Americans who say changing one’s gender is morally acceptable has fallen from 46% to 38%, a drop of -8 percentage points.
Much of the decline in support has been driven by Republicans. In 2022, 56% of Republicans said gay relations were morally acceptable. Today, only 35% say the same. That’s a whopping -21 percentage point drop. Support among independents has fallen -8 percentage points to 64%. And Democratic support has fallen only -4 percentage points to 81%.
In The Fourth Turning Is Here, I argued that America would likely become more progressive on economic and fiscal policy while moving in a more conservative direction on social and cultural values. This latest survey adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that shift is already taking place. (See “America the Judgmental” and “LGBT Identification Rises, But Public Support Declines.”)