New Study: Legalizing Gay Marriage Increases Public Support for It

A new study by the Williams Institute may explain the rising hysteria on the part of the Christofascists and their political whores in the Republican Party in their efforts to bar and/or delay legalization of same sex marriage: legalization accelerates the rate and level of public support for marriage equality.  Thus, the more states that have marriage equality, the higher the rate and level  of growing support.  In short, the Christofascists realize that before long their anti-gay jihad will be totally lost outside of the backward fetid swamps of fundamentalist church circles.  Here are a summary of the findings:

Since 2014, the most rapid rate of increase in support for marriage for same-sex couples occurred primarily in states that presently recognize same sex marriage.  Indeed, legal recognition of marriage for same-sex couples has been followed by more rapid increases in public support.

When marriage equality policies are introduced in states, support increases more rapidly. . . . We find that the annual rate of change is highest among the states that adopted  marriage equality.  However, since 2014, all marriage equality states, both those that adopted marriage equality before and after 2014, had similar rates of change rates which are significantly higher than those states without marriage equality.  We also find that regardless of the policy environment, the annual rate of change appears to be increasing over time.

All states are presently experiencing a trend reflecting increasing popular support for marriage for same sex couples; the rates of change across states averaged 2.6% per year over the last ten years. For almost all of the states the rate of change in support has accelerated over the last two years. Since 2012, states increased their support by 6.2% a year on average.

.The conclusion?  Expect more pressure from the Christofascists on the GOP to fight a losing battle