Gay rights advocate Vin Testa waves a rainbow flag in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in June. Ohio voters are split 47 percent to 47 percent on the question of same-sex marriage. (The Associated Press)
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ohioans are split on the idea of gay marriage and, if the election were today, would not vote to overturn the state's ban on it, a new poll shows.
The nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute, in a survey of 1,001 adults – 883 of them registered voters – found that 47 percent believe same-sex couples should be allowed to wed. Another 47 percent do not. Six percent were unsure or did not respond.
But when asked about a possible state constitutional amendment to repeal the one that banned gay marriage nearly a decade ago, 51 percent said they would not support the measure, compared with 45 percent who would. The findings seem to validate fears some gay rights groups in Ohio have about moving ahead with their ballot push in 2014.
"There is also some indication that those opposed to a constitutional amendment might have an advantage in turning out voters on this issue," the pollsters write.
"Ohio voters who oppose amending the constitution to allow same-sex couples to marry are nearly twice as likely as those who favor the amendment to say that same-sex marriage is a critical issue facing the state," 31 percent to 16 percent, respectively.
A majority of those who favor the measure say the issue is less important than others.
For the entire sample, the poll's margin of error is 3.7 percentage points. For the subsample of adults it is 3.9 points. The phone survey was conducted Aug. 8-15.
And though Public Religion Research describes itself as nonpartisan, the firm disclosed that the poll "was made possible through generous funding from the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund." The fund lists advocacy for gay marriage among its initiatives.
Other findings from Public Religion Research's "2013 Ohio Values Survey:"
- 62 percent believe the country is on the wrong track.
- A plurality (48 percent) of voters believes Ohio is on the wrong track.
- Roughly two-thirds cite unemployment and health care costs as critical issues.
- 62 percent – including half of Republicans – would oppose another effort like Senate Bill 5, the repealed 2011 law that limited collective bargaining for public-employee unions.
- 61 percent favor opportunities for illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements. That includes 53 percent of GOP voters, 68 percent of Democrats.
- A slight plurality (47 percent) believes abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
As for gay marriage, a push to overturn the state ban would do best in Cleveland and its surrounding Northeast Ohio counties, where 51 percent support a repeal. It would fare worst in the state's northwest quadrant, which includes left-leaning Toledo but also a bunch of conservative – and heavily Catholic – parts of the Buckeye State.
Seventy percent of those unaffiliated with a religion said they support the repeal. But by varying degrees, white evangelical Protestants (75 percent), minority Protestants (53 percent), Catholics (51 percent) and white mainline Protestants (50 percent) oppose it.
When given the option to support civil unions, 41 percent favor gay marriage, 30 percent no recognition at all and 23 percent civil unions. But 68 percent – including 61 percent of Republicans – said they favor laws that protect gays from job discrimination
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