I'm surprised that no one has created a topic on this:

[Sabastian]

I guess you missed my joke on the first page then;

A far cry from CNN's quoted poll of Americans only showing 40% approval for gay "civil unions", and 48% for endorsing "legal gay relations" (wtf is that). Damn liberalist-communist-destructionist-socialist-obstructionist-greasy-Europeans reading our CNN and skewing our polls!

You forget that rightwing-conservative-yaddayaddas could have flocked to the page to vote too Still, ~900,000 voters isn't a figure to be scoughed at.

Something you might consider here is that this is not reflective of America at all. There is the international version of CNN that you have used as a source of American voting then there is the one on my list of favorites.

http://www.cnn.com/

As opposed to this.

http://edition.cnn.com/

Which is likely something more reflective of the European vote on the matter being an international web page. In other words this poll is not reflective of an American poll at all.

 

[zurich]

Does it matter?

http://www.cnn.com/POLLSERVER/results/4942.html takes you to the same page, with the same results.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Probably one of the more "accuate / scientific" polls on the subject:

http://gallup.com/poll/releases/pr030730.asp

Would you favor or oppose a law that would allow homosexual couples to legally form civil unions, giving them some of the legal rights of married couples?

40% favor
57% oppose

Interesting that particular poll question doesn't even adress marriage fully, but civil unions...

 

[Natoma]

What I find most interesting are the trends in the graphs. Before the Supreme Court decision, 60% of americans believed that homosexual relations should be legal while 35% believed homosexual relations should not be legal. Homosexuality being considered an acceptable lifestyle was in the mid 50's, while against was in the mid-40s. Legal formation of civil unions was roughly a statistical dead heat.

Yet once the supreme court decision was rendered and homosexual relations were made legal, those in support dropped from 60% to 48%, and those against rose from 35% to 46%. Those in support of homosexuality being an acceptable lifestyle dropped from the mid 50s to the mid 40s, while those against rose from the mid 40s to the upper 40s. Those in support of allowing gays to marry dropped from 50% to 40%, and those against rose from 50% to 58%.

What does this tell me? Oh it's fine, theoretically, if homosexual relations are legalized. It's fine, theoretically, for homosexuality to be an acceptable lifestyle. It's fine, theoretically, for gays to be able to marry. But only theoretically. Let's not have it happen anytime soon though. But yea, we think it's a good idea.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

What does this tell me? Oh it's fine, theoretically, if homosexual relations are legalized. It's fine, theoretically, for homosexuality to be an acceptable lifestyle. It's fine, theoretically, for gays to be able to marry. But only theoretically. Let's not have it happen anytime soon though. But yea, we think it's a good idea.

Alternatively, this is just a more accurate reflection of what people really think.

When a big news item hits, it causes people to actually give more thought to the situation. Chances are, if you've heard about the court case, you've actually done some personal reflection on it, and that perspective is fresh in their minds.

As opposed to other points in time where there's nothing out of the ordinary going on with respect to the issue, and the question is asked more or less out of the blue.

 

[Natoma]

Considering how "hot button" homosexuality is to a lot of people, I wouldn't think people would have a difficult time thinking about it under any circumstance. I mean, if someone out of the blue last year asked you if you thought homosexual relationships should be legal in this country, would your answer necessarily be different than after the supreme court said that homosexual relationships are legal? I wouldn't think so.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Considering how "hot button" homosexuality is to a lot of people, I wouldn't think people would have a difficult time thinking about it under any circumstance.

Sure, that's a possibility.

But then if homosexuality is such a "hot button" in general, where people have such strong feelings on it...why would people essentially lie about their genuine opinion on it in the first place?

IMO, the "hot button" of the month is just that...the hot button of the month. Some external force, like a Supreme Court case, or publication of a scientific finding, etc, makes it the current hot button.

I mean, if someone out of the blue last year asked you if you thought homosexual relationships should be legal in this country, would your answer necessarily be different than after the supreme court said that homosexual relationships are legal? I wouldn't think so.

No, I would not have answered any differently. But apparently, some people likely did. Sine I wouldn't have, and you presumably wouldn't have, we lack personal experience as to why they would have, and we're both just guessing as to why.

(And just to be clear, I'm sure I agree with you on this quesiton, they should be legal.)