PRRI's American Values Atlas Finds Emerging Public Consensus Supporting LGBT Rights

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --As the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether a small business can legally deny goods or services to same-sex couples based on the owner's religious beliefs, a national survey out today from the nonpartisan PRRI as part of its American Values Atlas (AVA) finds broad opposition to this policy. The survey also finds emerging consensus in support of same-sex marriage, with most religious groups and all major ethnic and racial groups now supporting it.

Based on approximately 40,000 interviews conducted across 2017 and all 50 states, the survey explores support for religiously based refusals, same-sex marriage, and nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people.

A clear majority of Americans (60 percent) oppose allowing small business owners in their state to refuse service to gay and lesbian people if doing so would violate their religious beliefs. Just 33 percent of Americans support such claims. Attitudes have remained stable since 2015, when 59 percent of Americans opposed allowing such service refusals.

Nearly all major religious groups believe small business owners should not be allowed to refuse service to gay and lesbian people for religious reasons. White evangelical Protestants and Mormons, each with 53 percent support, are the only major religious groups among whom a majority support allowing religion-based service refusals.

The survey also finds a substantial increase in support for same-sex marriage since the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. Today, 61 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage. Only 30 percent are opposed.

While conventional wisdom holds that people of color oppose LGBT rights, today a majority of all racial and ethnic groups favor allowing same-sex couples to marry legally. Since 2013 there has been a double-digit increase in support for same-sex marriage among white (53 percent vs. 63 percent), black (41 percent vs. 52 percent), and Hispanic (51 percent vs. 61 percent) Americans. Majorities of smaller racial and ethnic groups also support same-sex marriage today, including Asian-Pacific Islander Americans (72 percent), Native Americans (56 percent), and those identifying as multiracial or with another racial and ethnic group (66 percent).

More information, including methodology and analysis, can be found here.

SOURCE PRRI