[Marxism] NEWSWEEK Poll: Support for Civil Unions Tops Support for Gay Marriage

[David Thorstad <binesi@xxxxxxxxx>]

Newsweek headlines its story "A Gay Marriage Surge," but that is 
misleading since more people polled supported civil unions than marriage 
(55% to 39%). The complete poll (link provided in the article) has many 
questions about attitudes toward homosexuals and gay relationships, some 
of which are interesting. The youngest cohort, for instance (18+), 
voiced less support for gays as grade school or high school teachers 
than did the next cohort (34+). And a whole series of completely skewed 
questions concludes the lengthy survey, asking, for instance, whether 
those polled are more morally opposed to gays in a long-term 
relationship or heterosexuals who either go off to Vegas to get married 
and then soon divorce, or heteros who have multiple partners, 
etc.--questions clearly designed to produce higher favorability 
responses toward gays in long-term relationships. Most gays are not in 
long-term sexual relationships, and half of hetero marriages end in 
divorce, but these realities were not represented. The strong support 
for hospital visitation and inheritance rights, and for 
nondiscrimination generally, is positive, but these questions were asked 
as stand-alones, not specifically tied to marriage or even civil unions, 
which would doubtless have produced different results.
   The high support for Obama's cabinet picks is not surprising, but 
hardly testifies to a progressive or critical worldview on the part of 
respondents.
David


http://www.newsweek.com/id/172399

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