A majority of Americans say they support same-sex marriage, according to a new poll released hours before the Supreme Court’s historic decision on a pair of cases involving gay rights.
According to the survey from CNN and ORC, 55 percent of Americans say they support allowing homosexuals to marry one another, while 44 percent disagree. That’s up 11 percentage points from the beginning of President Obama’s time in office.
The survey also found that six in 10 Americans believe the federal government should recognize same-sex marriages performed in the states that already permit gay marriage. Of those surveyed, 39 percent say they back the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from doing so.