Associated Press 23 June 2012
President Barack Obama’s endorsement of gay marriage appears to have made Americans on both sides of the issue even more entrenched in their positions, firing up his young, liberal backers and intensifying opposition from Republicans and conservatives, according to a new poll. Overall, his announcement last month that he supported gay marriage did little to shift the nation’s views on the subject, with the country remaining evenly divided on it, the Associated Press-GfK survey found. And people still seem to favour him over Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney when it comes to handling social issues. Even so, the poll, out Friday, found stronger approval from Democrats and liberals for the way he’s handled gay marriage over the last year and deeper discontent over that performance from the other side. In the poll, 42 percent of respondents oppose gay marriage, 40 percent support it and 15 percent are neutral. Last August, the country was similarly divided over whether same-sex couples should be allowed to be legally married in their state, with 45 percent opposing, 42 percent favouring and 10 percent neutral.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Views-shift-little-after-Obama-backs-gay-marriage/tabid/417/articleID/258852/Default.aspx
Views shift little after Obama backs gay marriage
