Which poll of adults around the country seems more believable: The Boston Globe's, or Gallup's?
Boston Globe (May 15, 2005)
"Overall, do you approve or disapprove of gay and lesbian couples being allowed to get married?"
50% Disapprove
37% Approve
11% Neutral
2% Don't know
The Boston Globe also asked this same group of 760 US adults over 18 (not identified as voters): "If a gay or lesbian couple gets married in Massachusetts, should their marriage be recognized as legal in all 50 states?"
46% Yes
50% No
4% Don't know
(One obvious disconnect: How could only 37% of the Globe sample approve of gay "marriage", but 46% believe that Massachusetts gay "marriages" should be recognized by other states?)
Compare the Globe results to a Gallup poll, which showed a large percentage of Americans disapproving gay "marriage":
CNN/USA Today/Gallup (March 2005)
68% say gay "marriages" should NOT be considered valid
28% say gay "marriages" should be considered valid
(reported in the Globe story)
The Gallup website gives this report, dated April 19, 2005:
Americans Turn More Negative Toward Same-Sex Marriage
Fifty-seven percent favor a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and woman, by Frank Newport
Support for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would define marriage as "being between a man and a woman, thus barring marriages between gay or lesbian couples," has risen to 57% in a recent Gallup Poll. This is the highest measured across seven times the question has been asked using this wording since the summer of 2003. About two-thirds of Americans also believe more generally that same-sex marriages should not be recognized by law as valid.
