Poll: Same-Sex Marriage Receives Record Support

A record number of Americans now approve of same-sex marriage, following two Supreme Court decisions on the issue last week, according to a USA Today poll.

A total of 55 percent of Americans believe same-sex marriage should be legalized, with the same rights as traditional marriage, according to the survey. That's the highest level of support since Gallup began asking the question in 1996. A total of 40 percent oppose the idea.

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Republicans and senior citizens age 65 and older represent the only two groups in which a majority opposes same-sex marriage. It's 68 percent for Republicans and 51 percent for seniors.

To be sure, the margin narrows when it comes to support for the Supreme Court's rejection of the provision in the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act barring federal government benefits for same-sex spouses. A total of 48 percent of respondents back that decision, while 43 percent oppose it.

When it comes to views of the Supreme Court overall, 31 percent of Americans say it's too liberal, 21 percent say it's too conservative, and 37 percent say it's "about right." That's the lowest percentage for "about right" in the 20 years that Gallup has asked the question.

The survey of 1,003 adults was conducted June 27-30 by Princeton Survey Research Associates.