Pew Poll: gay marriage opposition drops, most oppose SD abortion ban

In a new poll released yesterday, a slim majority of Americans remain opposed to gay marriage, but that number has dropped from 63% to 51% since February 2004. Equally encouraging, those who "strongly" oppose gay marriage is down to 28%, from 42% in Feb.04.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of the poll is the demographic in which strong opposition to gay marriage has seen the most significant drop. It wasn't young people. It wasn't Gen-Xers. It was the 65+ crowd. 33% of those 65 and older are "strongly" opposed. That's a 25 point drop from two years ago.

So Pennsylvania legislators can't even pick their divisive wedge issues right.

The poll touched on two other topics we care about here at the ACLU. 58% of those polled are against South Dakota's abortion ban, and Pew found an even split, 44-43, on the feds' policy of holding prisoners at Guantanamo Bay without charge.

(Kudos to firedoglake, which is where I first saw the story. FDL brilliantly framed it as a warning that some will dig for a new wedge issue to divide people: immigration.)

Andy in the HBG