The 2014 Arkansas Poll was released yesterday with some interesting statistics. While many are focusing on the poll’s findings concerning candidates and political leaders, the poll’s survey questions regarding same-sex marriage are striking.
Comparing this year’s Arkansas Poll with last year’s, support for same-sex marriage in Arkansas appears to have dropped by 2%.
In 2013:
- 23% of respondents said same-sex marriage ought to be legal.
- 21% said gay couples should be able to form civil unions, but not marry.
- 46% said there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship.
- 9% said they do not know or otherwise refused to answer the question.
This year:
- 21% of respondents said same-sex marriage ought to be legal (a 2% decrease over 2013).
- 21% said gay couples should be able to form civil unions, but not marry (no change over 2013).
- 48% said there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship (a 2% increase over 2013).
- 10% said they do not know or otherwise refused to answer the question(a 1% increase over 2013).
Now, before we say public opinion clearly is shifting against same-sex marriage in Arkansas, it’s important to note that the change is within the poll’s margin of error (3.6%). Statistically speaking, this demonstrates that attitudes on marriage in Arkansas remain where they were a year ago: The vast majority of Arkansans still oppose same-sex marriage. Nevertheless, it’s worth pointing out this is the first time the Arkansas Poll has recorded a decrease in support for same-sex marriage since 2005.
What is also interesting to note is how support for same-sex civil unions in Arkansas has dropped over the years. In 2007, 27% of Arkansans favored civil unions. Today only about 21% support them.
It’s also worth pointing out the Human Rights Campaign is spending, on average, about $1 million annually in Arkansas this year and over the next 2-3 years in an effort to change Arkansans’ opinions on homosexuality and same-sex marriage. So far, however, opinions appear unmoved–if not sliding in favor of traditional marriage.
