Poll Finds Support for Gay Marriage at All-Time High

A record-high 60% of Americans support same-sex marriage, according to a Gallup poll published Tuesday, about a month before the Supreme Court could issue a ruling on the issue.

The results from Gallup’s Values and Beliefs poll—up from 55% support last year—arrive as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on a case that could decide the constitutionality of gay marriage. Public support has more than doubled since Gallup first asked pollers about the issue in 1996, when Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that defined marriage as between a man and a woman, and which was struck down in 2013.

The poll also found that support for same-sex marriage has also reached all-time highs among Americans of all political parties: 76% of Democrats, up from 33% in 1996; 64% of Independents, up from 32% in 1996; and 37% of Republicans, up from 16% in 1996.

Read next: What’s at Stake as the Supreme Court Returns to Gay Marriage

Silent No More: Early Days in the Fight for Gay Rights

Caption from LIFE In commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, militants this year designated the last week in June as Gay Liberation Week and celebrated with a candlelight parade. The parade involved 300 male and female homosexuals, who marched without incident two miles from Gay Activists headquarters to a park near City Hall.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE When a bill guaranteeing equal job opportunities for homosexuals stalled in New York City Council last spring, militants demonstrated at City Hall. With fists raised, they shout a football style "Gay Power" cheer at police blocking the building.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE A homosexual activist steps between a pair of police horses to be interviewed during a New York demonstration. Militants often charge police brutality and welcome arrest for the sake of publicity. They also encourage press coverage of their protest actions.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, California, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE Collared by a patrolman after he deliberately crossed police barricades at New York's City Hall, Gay Activists Alliance President Jim Owles submits to arrest. Members of his organization were protesting City Council reluctance to debate a fair employment bill for homosexuals.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay Pride, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay Activists Alliance, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights rally, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights event, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

1 of 15

Advertisement

Contact us at editors@time.com.