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At the Day of Decision Protest in May 2009 (see more photos here) | Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist
For the first time, after asking the question in surveys for over 10 years, the Public Policy Institute of California has found that Californians are more likely to favor gay marriage than oppose it. "Today, a record high 49 percent of likely voters favor same-sex marriage and 45 percent oppose it," the report stated. "Support among all adults had never surpassed 45 percent since January 2000."
64% of Democrats, 55% of Independents and 28% of Republicans (67% opposing) were in favor of gay marriage. Since last May, when the questions was last asked, the favorability is up 4%, 8%, 6%, respectively.
Geographically speaking, the Los Angeles area is still split, with 46% of residents in favor, 48% opposing. A broader look, Southern California is 47% in favor with 49% opposing. There are no surprises in the San Francisco Bay Area (64% favor, 30% oppose) and in the Central Valley (51% oppose, 42% favor).
Also, 75% of Californians feel gays and lesbians should be allowed to openly serve in the military. That's up 7 points from February 2000 when the question was first asked. As for party affiliation, "Democrats (85%) and independents (79%) are more likely to say this than Republicans (57%)," noted the report. A national CNN poll found that 69% of Americans share this sentiment.
