Democrats (74 percent) and independents (71 percent) have been most accepting of legalizing same-sex marriages. | Getty Poll: 64 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage

Americans’ support for same-sex marriage has hit a new high, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

Sixty-four percent of adults surveyed said same-sex marriages should be legal, a 3 percent increase since last year and the most support for gay marriage since Gallup began tracking the issue in 1996, when just 27 percent backed legalizing gay marriage.


Democrats (74 percent) and independents (71 percent) have been most accepting of legalizing same-sex marriages, with support among Democrats reaching a majority in 2004, followed by a majority among independents in 2007. Forty-seven percent of Republicans support legalizing same-sex marriage, the highest ever mark from the GOP.

The Supreme Court in June 2015 legalized gay marriage nationwide in a landmark 5-4 ruling that said the Constitution bars states from denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

While some may still have objections to same-sex unions over moral or religious grounds despite the Supreme Court ruling, Americans are more accepting of same-sex relations, with 72 percent of respondents saying it should be legal.

The survey of 1,011 adults was conducted May 3-7 via landline and cellphones. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.