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"A clear majority of Americans (57 percent) favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into .... civil unions," says new research from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. "This finding marks a slight uptick in support for civil unions and appears to continue a significant long-term trend since the question was first asked in Pew Research Center surveys in 2003, when support for civil unions stood at 45 percent."
But the report continues:
"At the same time, opponents of same-sex marriage continue to outnumber supporters overall. ... 53 percent oppose allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, compared with 39 percent who support same-sex marriage, numbers that are virtually unchanged over the past year."
Catholics and same-sex marriage
The Pew Forum says Catholics overall are evenly divided on same-sex marriage, with 45 percent favoring same-sex marriage and 43 percent opposing it. But among Catholics who attend Mass weekly, 30 percent favor gay marriage and 59 percent oppose it.
Catholics and civil unions
Sixty-two percent of all Catholic respondents to the survey supported civil unions; 55 percent of Catholics who attend Mass weekly are OK with civil unions.
See the full report here: Majority Continues To Support Civil Unions; Most Still Oppose Same-Sex Marriage
