53 percent of Americans say the government should recognize gay marriage

It’s no secret that Americans across our nation grapple with the concept of gay marriage – and whether or not the government should intervene in such matters. The sense of uncertainty was reaffirmed this week in a new poll by The Associated Press and the National Constitution Center which asked 1,000 adults in the United States whether or not the “government should give legal recognition to marriages between couples of the same sex,” USA Today reports.

The poll results fortify the nation’s brewing impendence on gay marriage, mirroring the nation’s narrowly-split stance on the issue: 53 percent – a number of little fluctuation from last year — believe the government should provide legal recognition to gay couples who wish to unite in marriage.

Conversely, 44 percent of Americans disapproved of gay marriage while a small majority expressed conflict over whether or not the government should have rights to do anything at all.

While Americans are nearly split down the middle on issues of government-approved gay marriage, the support for LGBT unions in general has garnered an increase since 200. The growth in numbers is due in part to a generational shift in population as the majority of Americans under the age of 65 support gay marriage, while seniors still oppose the concept.

Even Americans who support the legalization of gay marriage are still unsure of how the laws should be enforced at either a state or federal level. Most respondents – 55 percent — said they believed the issue of gay marriage should be handled at the state level, many of which had opposing opinions on how each state should act.

“The different moral standards in different areas, probably, are the biggest reason that same-sex marriages are an issue,” said Dale Shoemaker,54, a military retiree in a USA Today interview. “If gay couples who want to get married live in a state that doesn’t allow it, they can move to one that does,” he said.

Shoemaker also explained that couples should have the right to enjoy benefits including insurance and retirement regardless of sexual orientation. Nearly 57 percent of those polled agreed with Shoemaker.

Despite the divide, many states including most recently New York have made considerable progress in promoting equality for the LGBT community by legalizing gay marriage, a movement that gays, lesbians, and allies are hoping will gain traction throughout the rest of the nation.