The poll says independent voters and moderates largely back same-sex marriage. Poll: A new record for gay marriage

Support for gay marriage has hit 55 percent — a record high, a new poll says.

According to a Gallup poll on Wednesday, the mark is a 2 percentage point increase from 2013 and is the highest since the polling firm began tracking the question in 1996.


Americans younger than 30 reported strong support, with 78 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds saying they back same-sex marriage, an 8-point jump from 2013. Forty-two percent of those 65 and older say they support same-sex marriage, the lowest mark for any age group but a 1-point increase from last year.

( POLITICO poll: Generational divide on gay marriage)

The survey comes the same week that federal judges have struck down same-sex marriage bans in Oregon and Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was the last state in the Northeast with a ban on same-sex marriage.

There remains a significant gap in support for same-sex marriage along ideological and party lines. Seventy-four percent of Democrats and 82 percent of those who identify themselves as liberals say they support same-sex marriage, compared to just 30 percent of Republicans and 31 percent of self-described conservatives.

But independent voters and self-described moderates largely back same-sex marriage, with 58 percent of independents and 63 percent of moderates giving support.

The Gallup poll was conducted May 8-11 with 1,028 adults on landlines and cellphones. The margin for error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.

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Gay Marriage