A same-sex couple attempts to obtain marriage license at the Forsyth County Register of Deeds office in Winston-Salem, N.C.
/ AP photo
Opposition to gay marriage has hit a new low among Americans, weeks after President Barack Obama announced his support for it, according to a new poll Wednesday.
Less than 4 in 10 Americans, 39 percent, said they are opposed to the legalization of gay marriage, in a new low found in a Washington Post-ABC News survey. Meanwhile, a majority of Americans, 53 percent, said same-sex marriage should be legal -- compared to just 36 percent who said the same six years ago.
Half of Americans, 51 percent, said they approve of the president's recent decision to publicly support gay marriage, while 41 percent said they disapprove. According to the survey, 71 percent of Americans said they have a friend, family member or acquaintance who is either gay or lesbian.
While the American public's opinion on gay marriage seems to be evolving, the majority of people, 55 percent, said the issue of gay marriage will not be a major factor in how they vote.
Obama came out in support of gay marriage earlier this month. He said in an interview with Robin Roberts of ABC News that his daughters played a role in shaping his decision.
"Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we're talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently," he said.
The Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted May 17-20 among 1,004 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
