CALIFORNIA MAJORITY BACKS GAY MARRIAGE - Field Poll director calls results a milestone

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 5/28/8 | John Wildermuth

[SmithL]

In a dramatic reversal of decades of public opinion, California voters agree by a slim majority that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, according to a Field Poll released today.

By 51-42 percent, registered voters said they believed same-sex marriage should be legal in California. Only 28 percent favored gay marriage in 1977, when the Field Poll first asked that question, said Mark DiCamillo, the poll's director.

"This is a milestone in California," he said. "You can't downplay the importance of a change in an issue we've been tracking for 30 years."

While opposition to same-sex marriage has been weakening for years in California, supporters have remained a minority. In March 2000, for example, voters overwhelmingly backed Proposition 22, a statute that said the state would recognize only the marriage of a man and a woman. A 2006 Field Poll showed that half the state's voters still disapproved of same-sex marriage.

But the state Supreme Court's decision this month to overturn Prop. 22 might have turned the tide, DiCamillo said.

"There's a certain validation when the state Supreme Court makes a ruling that you can't discriminate when it comes to marriage," he said. "That may have been enough to move some people who were on the fence about same-sex marriage."

Younger voters and those living in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and other Democratic urban strongholds were the most supportive of same-sex marriage, the poll found, while older voters and those living in the more conservative inland areas were more opposed.

The poll also provided a boost for groups planning to battle a measure to ban same-sex marriage that is expected to go on the ballot in November as a constitutional amendment. By 51-43 percent, registered voters oppose changing the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, according to the poll.

Results differ from other poll

...

[DoughtyOne]

I know a very good leftist who is really upset about this one. This poll is nothing but disinformation IMO.

[SumProVita]

Polls are often misleading.

[levotb]

They didn’t contact me; they never do. They only want liberals voting in their polls. This poll is, as it’s always been, a leftist sham.

[Right Cal Gal]

Which explains why Nobama is also doing well in the polls. People will say anything to a pollster to avoid seeming politically incorrect (or even to provide disinformation) - it’s what you actually do when it comes time to pull the lever that counts.

[traditional1]

Ah, yes.........Kalifornia.....

LOL

This is perfectly "normal" behavior in Kalifornia:

The Bride and Groom !

[Biggirl]

...Or are afraid of being called bigots.

[Always Right]

By 51-42 percent, registered voters said they believed same-sex marriage should be legal in California.

Hmmm, what to believe, a poll or an actual vote. I am sure millions of people just changed their minds overnight.

[Right Cal Gal]

They probably did most of their sampling in San Francisco and Los Angeles - with a few voters in the Imperial Valley for good measure, and I imagine they oversampled white voters in both areas. Most of the blacks and hispanics I know do NOT favor gay marriage.

[Neoliberalnot]

POll results reported by the Chron of San Fransickness are unbiased and homosexualized for the non-perverts.

[SayNoToDems]

If the majority in CA support homosexual "marriage" then no leftist group would lift a finger to oppose a referendum on the question.The proof's in the pudding.

Here in Massachusetts poll after poll indicates that homosexual "marriage" would lose badly if put to a vote.That's why leftists have worked (successfully) to keep it off the ballot.They're clearly afraid of the electorate.

So,California...put the question to a vote...again.And this time....no challenges to the result.

[megatherium]

I saw a book at Borders the other day: Fall of the Evangelical Nation. The author claims that the modern evangelical movement is faltering, losing its political power, and that some megachurches are losing membership. She claims in particular that young people are leaving the church in droves. I have no idea if any of this is true or not, but it makes me think that there might be a particle of truth in this poll—that even if it's not yet a majority, public attitudes about same-sex marriage definitely aren't as negative as they used to be.

[rface]

An article like this sets the stage for a California Constitutional Amendment ballot issue this November .... My money says that a California Amendment defining marriage as One Man/One Woman would pass with a good margin

[goldstategop]

The liberal Field Poll is the kitty litter of polls. Especially on same sex marriage.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[ßuddaßudd]

LOL a gay pole? LOL

[WalterSkinner]

..the poll must have been taken in the Castro District and West Hollywood...

[mngran2]

She claims in particular that young people are leaving the church in droves.

Look at the underlying poll numbers, which tend to agree. Only voters 50 and older have a majority that opposes gay marriage. All younger groups are for it. If, as conventional wisdom is right now, Obama is going to draw record numbers of young voters to the polls, this proposed amendment may indeed fail in California.

I get dismayed by everyone on here who just dismisses polls and says they don't count or are wrong. That leads to complacency. If you're a big fight and you see some indication it may be going against you, wouldn't you rather put in more effort to ensure you win rather than just trying to comfort yourself by saying "that information can't be right"?

[goldstategop]

Its a poll taken of registered voters. It really means nothing. Garbage In, Garbage Out. If its all pre-ordained, that California is going to keep same sex marriage in November, methinks they doth protest too much. Mind you, not a single vote has yet been cast on the constitutional amendment on the ballot and the Left says, "Game Over!" Yeah, really.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[rivercat]

Watch the Sec of State give the proposition a confusing or misleading name. Either that, or they’ll give it a name that will make the idiots feel guilty about voting for it.

[Lucky Dog]

Here's a reason to distrust this poll:

From the article: The poll is based on a telephone survey of 1,052 registered voters taken May 17-26. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

The poll was not a true random sampling of the population. What about those who were not home for the phone call, those who refused to be interviewed, those who are on the "do-not-call" list, those who refused to take the poll, etc.

Finally, there is the "loaded question" type of poll... as in "do you think innocent people should be executed?" Poll results: 99% of people oppose capital punishment. Notice that the article did not include samples of the questions that were asked