NOMblog: The Official Blog of the National Organization for Marriage

NOM BLOG

Category Archives: Poll

Tories Paying at the Polls for SSM

May 2, 2013 – 12:30 pm

The Christian Institute reports that the Conservative Party in the UK is potentially facing huge losses in tomorrow's elections due to the Prime Minister's policies pushing same-sex marriage:

The ComRes poll, commissioned by the Coalition for Marriage, reveals that one in four of those who voted Conservative in 2010 say the policy is putting them off voting for the Party again.

Asked, “Does the Coalition Government’s plans to legalise same sex marriage make you more or less likely to vote for each of these parties in next week’s local elections?” 26 per cent of Conservative 2010 voters say less likely.

Fewer than one in ten (nine per cent) say they are more likely to vote Tory again because of gay marriage.

And 22 per cent of those polled said they were planning to vote for UKIP, which opposes gay marriage.

Support for SSM Falls in New Zealand

April 20, 2013 – 9:00 am

News from a few weeks ago but a good reminder that attitudes about marriage change over time in both directions:

At last New Zealand's leading newspaper has acknowledged that support for gay marriage has declined ever since a bill to legalise it was introduced six months ago. TheNZ Herald's front page headline today reads, "Gay marriage shock" and the summary beneath it: "Religious sacremongering blamed for surprise increase in Kiwi's opposition to law change". Of course there had to be a sinister reason for Kiwis coming to their senses.

The fact remains that barely half the country supports same-sex marriage legislation which is already two-thirds of its way through Parliament. Asked in a Herald-DigiPoll "Which of the following best fits your view about marriage law? -- It should remain only between a man and a woman. OR It should be changed to allow it to be between same sex couples." -- 48 percent chose the first option and 49.6 percent the second. That's a rise of 7.5 percentage points against gay marriage from a poll last June and a decline of 4 points for it. Those who opted for "Don't know" or refused to answer declined from 6 per cent to 2.4 percent. The uncertain are making up their minds. (MercatorNet)

By NOM Staff | Posted in Australia, Marriage, Poll, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (35)

CNA: Study Shows African Americans Reject Civil, Gay rights Equation

April 4, 2013 – 12:30 pm

CNA:

A new survey of African Americans shows that most disagree with the claim that the effort to promote gay rights is comparable to the historic movement for racial equality.

About 55 percent of respondents to a Zogby Analytics survey said that equal rights for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons are not the same as equal rights for African Americans. Only 28 percent agreed, while 17 percent said they are not sure.

The online survey of 1,002 adults used respondents recruited through partners or random telephone samples. It was commissioned by Robert L. Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, and was conducted Feb. 14 through Feb. 20.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Marriage, Poll, Same Sex Marriage, United for Marriage | Comments (31)

Buyer's Remorse: Strong Majority in Minnesota Opposes Gay Marriage

March 6, 2013 – 1:00 pm

More proof that Minnesotans understand they were sold a bill of goods last November when they were told by gay marriage advocates that there was no plan to redefine marriage for the whole state.

And yet, the same gay marriage activists who also condemned efforts to protect marriage as a "distraction" from the other pressing business of the legislature, are now themselves pushing gay marriage:

A majority of Minnesotans oppose legalizing same-sex marriage, the Star Tribune Minnesota Poll has found.

Fifty-three percent of Minnesotans say the state statute banning same-sex unions should stand. Only 38 percent say legislators should overturn the law this year, while 9 percent are undecided.

The new poll offers a fresh snapshot of an issue that has deeply divided the state. It was just five months ago that Minnesotans rejected a proposal to put the ban into the state’s Constitution. Legislators now are considering bills that would make gay marriage legal.

House Speaker Paul Thissen said he found the poll results surprising, with stronger opposition than has been seen in other samplings. (Star Tribune)

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Minnesota, Poll, Polling, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (24)

Sun Poll: David Cameron "Badly Damaged" by Gay Marriage

February 16, 2013 – 9:00 am

The UK Sun:

David Cameron has been badly damaged by the gay marriage row, a Sun poll reveals today.

The PM’s bid to project a trendy new image has alienated millions of voters, including Tories.
Both supporters AND opponents of same-sex nuptials say they see his party in a worse light than before.

And two-thirds believe the Conservatives are now a divided party, according to the exclusive YouGov poll.

Mr Cameron hoped extending gay rights would help shed the Tories’ “nasty party” image.

But the gamble has backfired with 134 of his MPs — over half — refusing to back him.

A senior party figure said last night: “He managed to win the vote but must now be wondering was it all worth it.”

...The top priority should be the economy, 56 per cent said, followed by immigration, the NHS and unemployment.

Only five per cent think gay rights is most important.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Poll, Same Sex Marriage, United Kingdom | Comments (7)

WPRO: NOM Poll Says RI Wants SSM on Ballot

February 14, 2013 – 9:00 am

WPRO contributes to the growing awareness that Rhode Island voters want to have their say on marriage:

The National Organization for Marriage, Rhode Island Chapter, or NOMRI, released the results of a telephone poll Tuesday, showing that most Rhode Islanders favor the idea of putting same-sex marriage on the ballot.

According to the survey of 401 registered voters, 74 percent said they believed the “definition of marriage should be decided by the voters of Rhode Island,” versus letting the General Assembly make the call.

Those polled also expressed their opinion that the economy should be the legislature’s priority, with 55 percent saying the same-sex marriage issue should be secondary to the economy.

Visit the NOM-RI website for all the latest.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Let The People Vote, Marriage, Poll, Rhode Island, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (4)

GoLocalProv on Poll Showing Rhode Island Wants to Vote on Marriage

February 13, 2013 – 11:30 am

GoLocalProv:

"...Christopher Plante, Regional Coordinator for NOM, said the results are clear and show the measure should be decided at the polls.

“It has been clear for years that the vast majority of people in Rhode Island want and deserve the right to vote on the definition of marriage, just as those in 35 other states,” he said. “This year the State Senate has before it resolution 0096 to put the question to the people. That 78% of respondents agree Rhode Islanders deserve the same opportunity will hopefully move the senate to reject redefining marriage and instead put the decision to the people.”

...Plante says his group isn’t adovacating putting civil rights on the ballot. It’s asking, instead, for a vote on what the definition of marriage is.

“The question is what is marriage?,” he said. “The definition of marriage transcends states, countries, societies and history. Further, the high ground claimed by our opponents that marriage should not be on the ballot is moot. It was our opponents who put marriage on the ballot in Maine and are pushing to marriage on the ballot in at least Ohio and Oregon.”

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Poll, Rhode Island, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (7)

KSTP Poll: Minnesotans Oppose SSM 54%-42%!

February 7, 2013 – 11:00 am

A new KSTP poll shows that a majority of Minnesotans support retaining laws protecting marriage!

Should the Minnesota state law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry? Or should it be left as it is?

42% Should Be Changed
54% Should Be Left As It Is
4% Not Sure

Asked of 500 Adults

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Minnesota, Poll, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (12)

New Polls Show Increasing Support for Marriage in New Zealand!

January 7, 2013 – 10:30 am

Via the new MercatorNet blog on the future of marriage Conjugality:

The following press release provides an update on the same-sex marriage issue in New Zealand, where a bill redefining marriage to include such unions is due for a second reading on March 20:

Family First NZ and the ‘Protect Marriage’ campaign is welcoming a Herald on Sunday poll today showing that support for redefining marriage has fallen from a previous high of 63% in a ONE News Colmar Brunton poll last May to just 53% now.

This echoes a similar slide in polling by Research NZ which showed support for ‘same-sex marriage’ dropping to less than 50%, down 11% from a similar poll in 2011...

By NOM Staff | Posted in Australia, Marriage, Poll, Polling, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)

Legal Insurrection: Much-Touted Poll on SSM Actually Shows Majority Oppose SSM

December 19, 2012 – 10:00 am

We've seen this before but it's always worth pointing out again -- polls claiming a majority support redefining marriage offer those they poll a false binary choice between redefining marriage and no legal recognition whatsoever:

As Professor Jacobson pointed out the other day, there is an effort already underway to game the refs at the Supreme Court, similar to in the Obamacare case, by creating a media and political narrative that the Court’s legitimacy would be threatened if it were on the “wrong side of history” on gay marriage.

That “gaming the ref” effort was seen the other day at Politico.

Politico’s 9 December headline blared, “Poll: Plurality Support Gay Marriage” which to the undiscerning reader sounds awfully like most people are in favor.

The poll was picked up in many places. The ever excitable writers at Slate saw Politco’s story and quickly ran their own entry with an almost word-for-word headline.

But using their own numbers, Politico could have equally, and perhaps more honestly have written, “Majority Against Gay Marriage“. Or they could have even said “Nation Split on Gay Marriage.” All would have been correct given the actual poll results.

The poll asked which of three views best described a person’s view on gay marriage:

Same sex couples should be able to be legally married;
Same sex couples should be able to enter into civil unions but not be allowed to get married, OR
Same sex couples should not be allowed to have any type of legal union?

Only 40%—a minority—agreed with legal marriage. But 30% said civil unions without marriage was best, and 24% said no marriage and no civil union. That makes 54%—a majority—against marriage.

So while is strictly true that a plurality do support gay marriage when gay marriage is put as one choice of three questions, it is also true, and more faithful to the data, to say a majority is against it. -- Legal Insurrection

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Poll, Polling, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (11)

New Poll: Illinois Hispanics Strongly Pro-Marriage

December 5, 2012 – 12:00 pm

Republican political consultants are simply wrong when they claim social issues like marriage hurt their candidates - instead they help them:

As Republicans ponder how to win over Hispanics in future election cycles, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

A poll of Illinois Hispanics conducted by pollster Mike McKeon found that a majority shared views generally considered to be sympathetic to the Republican party.

The poll found Hispanics in the conservative camp on social issues in particular. Fifty-one percent said they opposed legalizing gay marriage, compared to just 40 percent who favored legalization. Fifty-six percent called themselves pro-life, while just 33 percent said they were pro-choice. -- The Daily Caller

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Illinois, Marriage, Poll, Polling, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (6)

Poll: 20% of Voters Said Marriage a Top 3 Issue For Them

November 29, 2012 – 1:00 pm

Gary Bauer on the lessons to be learned from the election:

In a national exit poll of 800 voters conducted on my behalf by the polling company, inc./WomanTrend, 8 percent of respondents said that the definition of marriage was their top issue, while another 20 percent called it one of their three top issues.

Interestingly, 44 percent of voters said they would be less likely to support a candidate who supports same-sex marriage (including 32 percent who said they would be much less likely), while 40 percent said they’d be more likely (including 21 percent who said they would be much more likely). -- Human Events

The same poll that NOM participated in showed that 60% of Americans support marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Poll, Polling, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

UK Pollster: Contrary to PM Cameron's Claims, 55-70% of Brits Support Marriage

November 24, 2012 – 9:00 am

The UK Christian Institute:

David Cameron misrepresented polling data to claim popular support for redefining marriage, the ComRes chief has said.

Andrew Hawkins, Chairman of the polling company, wrote to David Cameron to “put the record straight” about the number of people who are in favour of the Government’s plans to redefine marriage.

The Prime Minister had responded to a letter from MP Cheryl Gillan, in which she criticised the proposals. He said that more Tory-leaning voters were in favour of same-sex marriage than were put off by it.

But Andrew Hawkins said his polling showed that redefining marriage was unlikely to win back support from disillusioned voters.

He also said it was “simply not the case” that all the published polls show more voters are in favour of same-sex marriage, something the Prime Minister asserted as fact in his letter.

Mr Hawkins said the level of agreement that marriage should stay as it is, varies between 55% and over 70%.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Politics, Poll, Same Sex Marriage, United Kingdom | Comments (2)

National Post-Election Survey Reveals Widespread Support for Defining Marriage as the Union of One Man and One Woman

November 9, 2012 – 11:45 am

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 9, 2012
Contact: Elizabeth Ray or Jen Campbell (703-683-5004)

Survey conducted on Election Day Confirms September Poll Showing Widespread Support for Man/Woman Marriage

National Organization for Marriage

Washington, D.C. — The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today released the results of a nationwide survey of voters conducted on Election Day that shows 60% of Americans who voted in the election favor marriage being the union of one man and one woman. The survey, conducted by respected pollster Kellyanne Conway's firm 'the polling company, inc.' is consistent with a national survey they conducted this past September showing 57% of Americans then believed marriage should only be the union of one man and one woman.

"The outcome of the marriage votes in four very liberal states has caused some to speculate as to whether the American people have changed their views on marriage. This scientific poll shows that the answer to that is, 'no' they have not changed," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "This survey shows that 60% of voters believe marriage is one man and one woman, which is consistent with the 57% result 'the polling company' found in September."

The issue of marriage was on the ballot in four deep-blue states this past Tuesday. By narrow margins, same-sex marriage was approved in Maine, Maryland and Washington, while Minnesota voters defeated an effort to put one man/one woman marriage in their state constitution. Despite narrowly losing, the pro-marriage position out-performed the Republican ticket by an average of 6.6 points in these states.

"Had marriage been put to a national vote, the evidence suggests that our side would have captured 55% of the popular vote this past Tuesday," Brown said. "The GOP ticket captured 48.4% of the popular vote nationwide. Marriage outperformed the GOP ticket by an average of 6.6 points. The facts show that it is wrong to contend that preserving marriage as the union of a man and a woman is anything but a winning issue in America."

About the Post-Election Survey:
Conducted by the polling company, inc., the survey interviewed 800 randomly selected people who actually voted. Of these, 73% voted at the polls on Election Day, 18% had already voted by mail or absentee ballot, and 9% had already voted at the polls prior to Election Day. The survey has a margin of error of +/-3.5%.

Question asked: Do you (ROTATED) agree or disagree that "marriage is between one man and one woman"? (PROBED: And would STRONGLY or SOMEWHAT agree/disagree?)

60% TOTAL AGREE (NET)
51% STRONGLY AGREE
10% SOMEWHAT AGREE
34% TOTAL DISAGREE (NET)
10% SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
23% STRONGLY DISAGREE
6% DO NOT KNOW/CANNOT JUDGE (VOLUNTEERED)
* REFUSED (VOLUNTEERED)

About the September Survey:
In September, 2012, the polling company, inc. conducted a national survey for NOM. The survey of 1,000 randomly selected voters was in the field from September 10-16, 2012 and had a margin of error of +/-3.1%.

Question asked: Do you (ROTATED) support or oppose defining marriage ONLY as a union between one man and one woman? (PROBED: And would that be STRONGLY or SOMEWHAT support/oppose?)

57% TOTAL SUPPORT (NET)
51% STRONGLY SUPPORT
7% SOMEWHAT SUPPORT
37% TOTAL OPPOSE (NET)
10% SOMEWHAT OPPOSE
27% STRONGLY OPPOSE
5% DO NOT KNOW/CANNOT JUDGE (VOLUNTEERED)
1% REFUSED (VOLUNTEERED)

###

To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Jen Campbell (x145), jcampbell@crcpublicrelations.com , or Elizabeth Ray (x130), eray@crcpublicrelations.com , at 703-683-5004.

Paid for by The National Organization for Marriage, Brian Brown, president. 2029 K Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. New § 68A.405(1)(f) & (h).

By NOM Staff | Posted in Poll, Press Releases | Comments (76)

3/4 of English MPs Say Feedback on Gay Marriage is Negative, Half Strongly Negative

November 3, 2012 – 3:00 pm

The UK Christian Institute:

"...A recent poll revealed that most voters who write to MPs about the plans to redefine marriage are opposed to the measure.

Three quarters of MPs (74 per cent) said the balance of correspondence about gay marriage was “negative” and almost half (47 per cent) was “strongly negative”.

More than 610,000 people, including a number of MPs, have signed the Coalition for Marriage petition calling for the same-sex marriage proposals to be scrapped."