Left and Right Part Ways on Gay Marriage

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

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The voice of the world in numbers

June 10, 2025

Welcome to Front Page, where we break down Gallup's latest insights on our constantly evolving world. Here are the five insights you shouldn't miss this week:

1. Left and Right Part Ways on Gay Marriage

Line Chart: Americans' support for same-sex marriage.

The Data: Support for legal same-sex marriage is at 88% among Democrats, 76% among independents and just 41% among Republicans. This is the largest gap between the two major parties (47 percentage points) that Gallup has ever recorded.

The Trend: Democrats' support has reached a new high. Republicans' backing, however, has dropped by 14 points since 2022, reversing gains made after the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Line Chart: Ratio of same-sex cohabiting U.S. couples who are married vs. living with a partner.

The Data: Combined Gallup poll data from 2021-2024 show that 55% of same-sex cohabiting couples in the U.S. are married, down from a post-Obergefell high of 61% in 2016-2017.

The Trend: Before nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage, 38% of cohabiting same-sex couples were married. That share surged after the Supreme Court's ruling, but marriage uptake among LGBTQ+ Americans has since edged downward.

Line Chart: Americans' self-identification on abortion issue.

The Data: In 2025, 51% of Americans identify as pro-choice — maintaining the pro-choice lead that has held since the high court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision and outpacing pro-life identifiers (43%) by eight points.

The Trend: Pro-choice identification rebounded sharply after the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, widening a gap that had remained narrow or reversed in many years since 1995.

Split Bar Chart: Religious preferences of U.S. adults by generation, combined 2020-2024 data.

The Data: Roughly one in three Gen Z adults (34%) and millennials (31%) report having no religious affiliation, compared with 19% of Gen Xers, 13% of baby boomers and just 9% of the Silent Generation.

Decreasing Christianity: Christian affiliation declines markedly with each younger generation, from the Silent Generation to Gen Z, corresponding with inclines of religious “nones.” Among U.S. adults overall, religious identity has held steady in recent years: In 2024, 45% of Americans identified as Protestant or nondenominational Christian, 21% as Catholic, 10% as another religion, and 22% as unaffiliated. All figures remain within one point of their 2018-2020 levels.

Grouped Bar Chart: Retirement security sense, by retirement savings plan ownership.

The Data: In the U.S., 94% of retired adults with a retirement savings plan say they have enough money to live comfortably, and 70% of those without a savings plan say the same.

Closer Look: Retirement savings plan ownership tracks closely with current financial comfort — 72% of nonretirees with a plan feel secure today, compared with just 44% of those without. But this likely reflects existing economic advantages, not the psychological reassurance of saving itself. When it comes to the future, even plan investors express uncertainty: Only half of plan owners expect to live comfortably in retirement, just 19 points above those without a savings plan. The real story is a structural one — plan ownership may signal affluence, but it doesn't guarantee confidence.