Many proponents of same-sex marriage assume that opposition to same-sex marriage comes almost exclusively from religious citizens. A simple math calculation exposes the error of this assumption: religious believers account for approximately 95% of the population, and yet only 48% oppose same-sex marriage (41% favor). Clearly not all opposition to same-sex marriage is coming from religious believers. Who, then, is it coming from?
In August 2010 The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life conducted their annual “Religion and the Issues: Results from the 2010 Annual Religion and Public Life Survey.” The survey revealed that only 35% of the population considers religion the main influence on their opinion about same-sex marriage. Of this number, 60% are opposed to same-sex marriage. That means only 21% of the population is opposed to same-sex marriage primarily on religious grounds. The other 27% of the population that is opposed to same-sex marriage is opposed to same-sex marriage primarily on other grounds such as education, personal experience, and the views of family and friends. Put another way, the majority of those who are opposed to same-sex marriage are motivated primarily by reasons other than religion.
While I find it appalling, same-sex marriage proponents should take note of the fact that 49% of white Catholics (49%), 48% of mainline Protestants (48%), 26% of black Protestants, and 22% of white evangelical Protestants favor same-sex marriage!
What I found truly interesting is the finding that only 78% of atheists and agnostics favor same-sex marriage. That means close to 1 in 4 atheists/agnostics are either opposed to same-sex marriage, or have no opinion! While there is no question that conservative religious believers are more likely to be opposed to same-sex marriage than the non-religious, the fact of the matter is that there is a lot of support for same-sex marriage among the religious and a lot of opposition to same-sex marriage among the non-religious. The notion that religion is responsible for the opposition to same-sex marriage is false. Significant opposition comes from all quarters of the American populace.
Thinking to Believe 
October 29, 2010 at 9:35 am
Well there is a problem here with what people report to be their motivation and their real motivation, as well as reasons to oppose same-sex marriage which are not directly religious, but based on false information spread by people for religious reasons or based on religious teachings. Paul Cameron’s “research” is a prime example of what I am talking about.
Personally I find gay marriage .. makes me writhe a little (although weddings can as well). But if they want it then I don’t think there are any real factual arguments against it. (it will not cause harm / decrease standards of living any more than conventional marriage).
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October 29, 2010 at 10:55 am
=8)-DX,
I don’t think a reply that essentially says respondents are lying is going to fly. If that’s what you have to resort to in order to avoid the conclusion that most people who oppose same-sex marriage do so primarily for non-religious reasons, then be my guest, but don’t expect anyone to count this as a rebuttal.
Normally we take people at their word. Knowing human nature, I wouldn’t doubt that some people may either intentionally lie, or may be deceiving themselves about their real motives, but that cannot account for the majority. Neither can it count for the fact that 1 out of 4 people who do not believe in God/religion also do not support same-sex marriage. All of this goes to show that one cannot make opposition to same-sex marriage out to be some religious thing. That’s part of the story, but only part.
Jason
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