This week, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore ordered probate judges not to obey a U.S. District Court order striking down Alabama’s same-sex marriage ban. In the wake of this showdown between the state and federal courts, 2014 polling by Public Religion Research Institute’s American Values Atlas project finds that support for same-sex marriage in Alabama is the lowest in the nation.
Here’s a run-down of attitudes on same-sex marriage in Alabama.
Only about one-third (32 percent) of Alabama residents support same-sex marriage, while 59 percent oppose it. Among Americans overall, the numbers are essentially reversed-54 percent support same-sex marriage, compared to 38 percent who oppose it.
Among Alabama residents, support varies dramatically by political affiliation, religious affiliation, race, and age.
- Nearly 8-in-10 (77 percent) Republicans oppose same-sex marriage, compared to 49 percent of Democrats. Only 22 percent of Republicans support same-sex marriage, compared to 41 percent of Democrats.
- White evangelical Protestants stand out as the group most opposed to same-sex marriage (21 percent favor, 75 percent oppose). Black Protestants largely mirror the general population (29 percent favor, 58 percent oppose).
- There are large generation gaps among Alabama residents. Nearly half (48 percent) of Alabamians under the age of 35 support same-sex marriage, while 43 percent oppose it. By contrast, only 21 percent of Alabama seniors support same-sex marriage, while 73 percent oppose it.
Resources:
- To print out a summary of attitudes on same-sex marriage among demographic subgroups in Alabama, click here.
- To see a summary of attitudes on same-sex marriage in all 50 states, click here.
- To see the topline questionnaire and national results from the American Values Atlas on same-sex marriage, click here.