Obama Gay Marriage Announcement Didn't Change Most People's Opinion Of Him, Pew Survey Shows

Pew Survey: Obama Gay Marriage Announcement Didn't Change Most People's Opinion Of Him

President Barack Obama's announcement that he supports gay marriage did not change how most Americans feel about him, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Monday.

Fifty-two percent said it didn't affect their opinion of him, while 25 percent said they view him less favorably and 19 percent more favorably.

A larger majority of African Americans (68 percent), who some had speculated would be the most turned off by Obama's announcement, said their opinion of the president didn't change. Roughly equal numbers of African Americans said it made them view Obama more or less favorably.

Fifty-three percent of Republicans said the announcement made them view Obama less favorably and 32 percent of Democrats said it made them view him more favorably. Equal numbers of independents, 19 percent, said the announcement made them view Obama more or less favorably, while 60 percent said it had no effect.

Overall, support for gay marriage among Americans has risen from 31 percent in 2004 to 47 percent in 2012, according to Pew. Opposition has fallen from 60 percent to 43 percent during the same period.

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