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State of the States on Same-sex Marriage
Joanna Piacenza,
02.11.2015
Topics: LGBTQ

Following a dramatic shift in attitudes on same-sex marriage over the last decade, courts and state legislatures across the nation have reversed or struck down laws banning gay and lesbian couples from marrying legally. Most recently, courts in Alabama struck down such a ban despite the strong opposition to same-sex marriage in the state–no state expresses lower support for same-sex marriage in the country.

Using new data from the American Values Atlas, we’re now able to see how each separate state feels about same-sex marriage. So where does your state stand?

SSM-by-State-Chart

For the complete breakdown of state-by-state attitudes on same-sex marriage, including intensity of support and opposition, see the table below. Mississippi holds the distinction of being the state with the most intense opposition, with 36 percent strongly opposed to same-sex marriage. At the other end of the spectrum, in Massachusetts, the first state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage in 2003, 41 percent of residents strongly support same-sex marriage.

SSM by State Table Re-do

To download a summary of attitudes on same-sex marriage in all 50 statesclick here.

For more public opinion on same-sex marriage, see PRRI’s “Everything You Need to Know about Same-sex Marriage for the Upcoming SCOTUS Case.”