Support for marriage equality rises to 53% in poll, with big increase in African-American support

Support for marriage equality continues rising in polls, with a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finding 53 percent of people support it and 39 percent oppose, "a dramatic turnaround from just six years ago, when just 36 percent thought it should be legal." Perhaps most startlingly, 59 percent of African Americans polled said they supported marriage equality, a rise of 18 points over polls taken prior to President Obama's statement of support for marriage equality; the Post, however, cautions that the margin of error is high due to a relatively small number of black people polled.

Marriage equality typically does better in polling than in actual voting, and 53 percent of a national sample supporting equality certainly reflects much higher support in some places (polls have found 59 percent approval in California and 60 percent in Massachusetts) and much lower support in others. So the days of anti-gay ballot measures passing may not be quite over'but we're clearly on the right path, and November may bring a reversal of Maine's 2010 vote against marriage equality.