Washington: A little over half of Americans approve of President Barack Obama`s public endorsement of same-sex marriage, according to a new survey taken after his ABC News interview on Wednesday.
The results from the Gallup survey, which was taken May 10 showed 51 percent of Americans approved of the decision, compared to 45 percent who disapproved, closely mirroring recent polling of Americans on the issue of marriage equality.
In a Gallup survey taken May 3-6, 50 percent of respondents said marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized as legal, compared to 48 percent who said they should not.
Friday`s results fell mostly along party lines - Democrats overwhelming approved of the announcement, while Republicans largely disapproved.
Independents were split: 53 percent approved of Obama`s endorsement of same-sex marriage, compared to 44 percent of independents who disapproved.
The poll also questioned Americans on whether they were more or less likely to vote for Obama based on the decision, though respondents were not asked whether they were previously leaning toward Obama or his Republican rival Mitt Romney.
A majority of Americans, 60 percent, said Obama`s announcement will make no difference to their vote.
Forty percent of Americans said the decision will sway their vote in November. The survey indicated 26 percent of Americans were less likely to vote for the President because of the decision, and 13 percent were more likely to cast votes for Obama following his announcement.
Among Americans who identified themselves as independents, 23 percent said they were less likely to vote for Obama after he supported same-sex marriage, and 11 percent said they were more likely to cast ballots for the incumbent Democrat in November.
Sixty percent of Americans polled were unchanged in their support of the President after he publicly backed same-sex marriage.
Gallup was quick to mention in releasing their poll that the results reflected very immediate reaction to Obama`s decision, and that Americans` viewpoints could change as time passes, depending on the attention same-sex marriage garners on the campaign trail.
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