Latino Catholics Strongest Supporters of Same-Sex Marriage, Survey Finds

Stan Wiest

Coming to a same-sex wedding near you?

​A survey released today polling religious Californians revealed that Latinos both support -- and heavily oppose -- same-sex marriage.

Que pasa?

The poll, undertaken by the Public Religion Research Institute, found that the subset of religiously affiliated Californians most sympathetic to same-sex marriage are Latino Catholics: 57 percent support it compared to 38 percent opposed. Yet the most strident opponents of same-sex marriage are Latino Protestants: Only 22 percent support it; 73 percent do not.

The Washington, D.C.-based Public Religion Research Institute describes itself as "a nonprofit, nonpartisan, independent organization specializing in work at the intersection of religion, values, and public life." Its phone survey polled 3,351 Californians between June 14 and 30.

The religiously unaffiliated, by the way, were the most supportive of all: 73 percent favored same-sex marriage.

​Among those who do go to church or temple, it appears one of two things is happening: Californians are choosing a place of worship that jibes with their views of same-sex marriage or those places of worship are influencing the worshipers.

The poll found that those who heard negative messages about same-sex marriage at church or temple only supported it at a 19 percent clip. Meanwhile, 60 percent of those who heard positive messages about gay marriage from their clergy felt the same.

Another interesting finding: Your view of what God is correlates with your views on same-sex marriage. Among Californians who conceive of God as "an impersonal force," 61 percent favor gay marriage. Those who "hold a personal view of God" only offer 26 percent support. Accordingly, 76 percent of respondents who believe the Bible "is a book written by men" favor allowing gay and lesbians to marry. Just 26 percent of those who "hold a literal view of the Bible as the word of God" feel similarly.

Religion aside, the poll affirms findings consistent with other polls. Among Californians 30 or younger, 63 percent favor same-sex marriage. In the future, this figures to be a less controversial issue -- as surely as God is in His Heaven.

Read the full report here.




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