There is, however, large support for same-sex civil unions and domestic partnerships. Poll: Utah split on gay marriage

Utah is split down the middle on the question of same-sex marriage, indicating a sharp decline in support for the state’s 2004 constitutional ban, according to a new poll.

A Salt Lake Tribune poll by SurveyUSA shows that Utahns are evenly split on the issue with 48 percent in favor of legalizing gay marriage and 48 percent against it. This marks a massive shift in opinion in the strongly conservative state, where 66 percent of voters who participated in the 2004 election approved of the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages in Utah.


According to the survey, 36 percent of Utah adults have changed their views of same-sex marriage over time, further complicating an already-tricky legal battle in the state.

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These numbers come after a federal district judge overturned the gay marriage ban on Dec. 20, calling the law unconstitutional and choosing not to stay the decision. On Jan. 6, the Supreme Court ordered a halt on new marriages between same-sex couples while the judge’s decision is appealed, but not before 1300 same-sex couples filed for marriage licenses.

While Utah Gov. Gary Herbert’s administration says it will not recognize the marriages that took place during that time, last week the Obama administration issued a statement that the Department of Justice would recognize them, granting federal benefits to those couples even as the courts battle over whether the the ban was constitutional or not.

While state residents are split on the specific question of gay marriage, there is, however, overwhelming support for same-sex civil unions and domestic partnerships; 72 percent of those surveyed said they believe same-sex couples should be able to form civil unions, while only 25 percent said they should not.

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The survey of 600 Utah adults was conducted Jan. 10 to 13 and has a margin of error of between plus-or-minus 3.7 percentage points and plus-or-minus 4.1 percentage points.