Support for same-sex marriage reached 71% in 2022 — an all-time high. LGBTQ issues had entered the mainstream, and public acceptance appeared stronger than ever.
But after several years of relentless political and cultural attacks on the queer community, that support appears to be softening, at least for now.
According to Gallup, support for same-sex marriage has fallen to 65%. Most of the decline has come from Republicans.
In 2021 and 2022, 55% of Republicans supported same-sex marriage. Today, that number has cratered to 37%. Support among independents has fallen six percentage points during the same period. Democrats, meanwhile, remain unchanged at 87% — the same level recorded in 2022.
Gallup also tracks whether Americans view gay and lesbian relationships as morally acceptable.
Among Democrats, that figure fell from 86% in 2025 to 81% this year. Independents reached a high of 74% in 2021 but have since declined to 64%. Republicans peaked at 56% in 2022; today, just 35% say gay and lesbian relationships are morally acceptable.
“Those pro-LGBTQ+ attitudes peaked about five years ago and have since edged downward, mostly among Republicans,” a report from Gallup reads. “The change has come as conservative leaders have pushed back against diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were intended to foster greater acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and other historically disadvantaged groups.”
This comes on the heels of another Gallup poll released in February that found 9% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ. That figure is unchanged from last year but more than double the 3.5% Gallup recorded in 2012.
