NEW YORK - An increasing majority of Americans favor allowing same-sex couples to obtain most of the same rights as married heterosexual couples, but only 39 percent support legalization of same-sex marriage, according to a poll released yesterday.
The Pew Research Center said support for civil unions has risen to 57 percent, up from 54 percent a year ago and 45 percent when Pew first asked the question in 2003.
Views on legalizing same-sex marriage remained almost unchanged from last year, with 53 percent opposed and 39 percent in favor, the center said.
Supporters of same-sex marriage were divided over the best way to pursue legalization, according to the survey.
Forty-five percent of them favored pushing hard to legalize it as soon as possible, while 42 percent said pushing too hard for swift legalization might trigger a backlash against gays and lesbians.
There was more support for same-sex marriage among women, adults under 30, and college-educated people than there was among men, older adults, and those who did not attend college.
Asked about homosexual behavior, 49 percent said it is morally wrong, 9 percent said it is morally acceptable, and 35 percent said it is not a moral issue.
The telephone survey of 4,013 adults was conducted in August. The margin of error for the full sample was 2 percentage points.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, and Vermont, and will be legal in New Hampshire in January.
A referendum in Maine on Nov. 3 will determine the fate of a same-sex marriage bill passed by the Legislature in May, and the City Council in Washington, D.C., is expected to approve same-sex marriage soon.
