Polls: Most in Mass. Oppose Gay Marriage
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 22, 2004
Filed at 9:15 a.m. ET
BOSTON (AP) -- A majority of Massachusetts residents oppose legalizing gay marriage, a significant change since the state's highest court ruled three months ago that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry, according to a Boston Globe poll.
The poll indicated opposition to gay marriage has jumped 10 percentage points since a poll taken just days after the Supreme Judicial Court's Nov. 18 ruling legalizing gay marriages.
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In the new poll, 35 percent supported legalizing gay marriage and 53 percent were opposed; in the earlier poll, 48 percent supported legalizing gay marriages, while 43 percent were opposed.
The survey of 400 adults, conducted Wednesday and Thursday, has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
The poll, published in Sunday editions of the Globe, also found a significant majority of those surveyed want voters -- not the courts or the Legislature -- to define marriage in Massachusetts through a statewide ballot question to amend the constitution. Also, 60 percent of those polled supported Vermont-style civil unions for same-sex couples, a 7-point decrease from an earlier poll.
The increase in opposition follows lobbying by the Catholic Church and other gay marriage opponents, who have lobbied for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Among Catholics, the percentage of those who oppose gay marriage increased from 47 percent to 66 percent.
``There has clearly been a backlash against the court ruling,'' said Gerry Chervinsky, the president of KRC Communications Research of Newton, which conducted the poll.
The survey also indicated deep divisions over what course the Legislature should take. None of the three proposed amendments considered by lawmakers was supported by a majority of those surveyed:
-- An amendment that would restrict marriage to heterosexuals was opposed 47 percent to 45 percent in favor. That amendment stated that ``nothing in this article requires or prohibits civil unions,'' but did not establish or define them, or explicitly give the Legislature the ability to create them.
-- An amendment that would restrict marriages to heterosexuals, but also mandate the creation of a civil union system for same-sex couples, was opposed 49 percent to 36 percent in favor.
-- An amendment defining marriage between one man and one woman and establishing civil unions, but leaving it to the legislature to define what benefits civil unions provide, was opposed 55 percent to 30 percent in favor.
The poll also indicated differences of opinion among residents based on age, party affiliation, gender and religious affiliation.
Male respondents opposed legalizing gay marriage more than women did. Republicans strongly opposed it, while Democrats were statistically split. A majority of respondents over the age of 40 opposed gay marriage, while about 45 percent of those under 40 favored it. Catholics firmly opposed legalizing gay marriage, while 47 percent of Protestants opposed it and 38 percent supported it.
The poll was taken a week after a two-day constitutional convention that failed to resolve whether to put a constitutional definition of marriage on the ballot. The convention is scheduled to reconvene March 11.
The SJC ruling cleared the way for gay marriages beginning in mid-May.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Gay-Marriage-Massachusetts.html