The share of U.S. adults who support same-sex marriage and laws that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination has dipped in the last year, a survey has found. After steadily increasing over the last decade, support for same-sex marriage dipped to 67% in 2023 from a record high of 69% the year before, according to the survey of more than 22,000 U.S.
, and reported a margin of sampling error of 0.82%. More than three-quarters of those surveyed favored laws that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodation, a decline from a record high of 80% in 2022. Melissa Deckman, ’s chief executive, noted that while support for same-sex marriage and nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people remains significantly higher than it was a decade ago, the year-over-year declines surprised researchers. “You can’t really take a look at this report and not note some declines, especially among Republicans,” Deckman told NBC News in an interview. “Party polarization is really driving the national averages down.
’s survey found that support for same-sex marriage is lower among respondents living in states where same-sex marriage would not be legal if Obergefell v. Hodges were overturned, 64%, compared with 72% in states where the unions would still be legal. Republican state lawmakers across the country have pushed record numbers of anti-LGBTQ laws in legislatures in recent years.