What Americans think about gay couples and adoption
Men (47%) were far more likely than women (30%) to “strongly” agree with the statement that children should be raised by a mother and father.
With Pride Month in full swing, there has been much discussion recently about non-traditional families. Over half of Americans (55%) said they believe heterosexual and homosexual couples can be equally good parents, according to new data from YouGov Omnibus. Majorities also said they were in support of gay (53%) and lesbian (55%) couples having the right to adopt and raise children.
When asked whether gay and straight couples can be equally good parents, 38% of people “strongly” agreed, making this the most popular response. Women (47%) were significantly more likely than men (30%) to “strongly” agree with this statement.
However, a majority of people (57%) also said they believed that a child should be raised by both a mother and a father. Another 15% “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with that idea. In this case, men (47%) were far more likely than women (30%) to “strongly” agree with the statement that children should be raised by a mother and father.
When asked if they thought lesbian couples should be able to adopt and raise children, 55% said yes and 29% said no. Results were similar when people were asked the same question about gay male couples, with 53% saying yes and 32% saying no. In both instances, women were significantly more likely than men to say yes.
In eight US states, child-welfare agencies can refuse to place a child with a same-sex couple based on religious objection. Almost half of Americans (47%) said that was unfair, while one-third (33%) said it was fair.
Many (46%) were also in support of a Connecticut initiative to recruit members of the LGBT community to become foster and adoptive parents, though another 29% said they thought it was a bad idea.
