Media Advisory: July 16, 2010
Contact: Adam Muhlendorf, Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications
(202) 265-3000; (202) 641-6216 (c); adam@rabinowitz-dorf.com

New Poll:  Only One-in-Five Californians Say Proposition 8 ‘Good Thing’

Comprehensive New Poll Examining Religious Based Attitudes on Same Sex Marriage Two Years after Proposition 8 to be released on Wednesday

LOS ANGELES - A new survey of over 3,000 Californians being released on Wednesday, July 21, finds only one-in-five Californians believe passage of Proposition 8 is a “good thing” for the state. The results are being released as California voters await U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker’s decision on whether Proposition 8 violates the U.S. Constitution.

The survey is the most comprehensive breakdown by religion of where Californians stand on same sex marriage since Proposition 8 was approved nearly.  The report, which will be released in its entirety at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 in the Crocker Room at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel (251 South Olive Street), examines the role of religion on attitudes about a number of gay and lesbian issues including: marriage, adoption, gay and lesbian people serving in the military, and workplace discrimination.  The report highlights shifting attitudes within the African American community, deep divisions within the Latino community, the influence of clergy on parishioners, and insights about the role religion plays in the Proposition 8 debate. 

The bilingual (Spanish and English) poll was conducted by Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and funded by the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund with additional support provided by the Ford Foundation.  Over a two week period at the end of June, PRRI surveyed 2,801 Californians and additional oversamples of African Americans and Latino Protestants to allow for in-depth analysis of these groups.

What:

Public Religion Research Institute will release new findings from a survey of Californians on support for same sex marriages and a range of other gay and lesbian policy issues.  The PRRI report will include the most comprehensive breakdown of support by religious groups to date and analysis of the impact of religious beliefs on issue support.

Who:

Robert P. Jones, Ph.D
Founding CEO, Public Religion Research Institute

Daniel Cox
Director of Research, Public Religion Research Institute

Rev. Madison Shockley
Pastor, Pilgrim United Church of Christ (Carlsbad, Calif.)

Diane Winston, Ph.D.
Knight Chair in Media and Religion, Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California

When:

Wednesday, July 21, 2010
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. PST

Where:

Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza

The Crocker Room
251 South Olive Street
Los Angeles, California 90012

NOTE FOR REPORTERS OUTSIDE THE LOS ANGELES AREA: If you are a reporter located outside of the Los Angeles area or unable to attend the media conference in person, but interested in covering the release of the polling data, please dial:
1-800-895-0231
ID:  Public Religion Research Institute / Proposition 8

Public Religion Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan, independent research and education organization specializing in work at the intersection of religion, values, and public life.

-End-

On October 26, the Washington D.C. City Council held a 7-hour hearing on the “Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009,” which would legalize same-sex marriage in Washington D.C. One of the prominent voices testifying in favor of the bill was Rev. Dr. Joseph Palacios, a sociologist at Georgetown University and a priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Dr. Palacios, who is also the founder of Catholics United for Marriage Equality, noted that…

“On a great many social issues a majority of [Catholics] have divergent opinions regarding issues pertaining to the Church’s positions regarding family, sexuality, reproduction, gender, and identity issues that rely on natural law arguments for the Church’s logic. These positions often conflict with the lived experiences of Catholics as they encounter social injustice.”

To illustrate his point and to make the case for marriage equality Dr. Palacios drew heavily on research and analysis by Public Religion Research, particularly on our report, “Roman Catholics and LGBT Justice Issues,” which he called “the most comprehensive study of Catholics and gay and lesbian issues to date.”

Dr. Palacios drew on the following findings in making his case for marriage equality:

• ACCEPTANCE OF HOMOSEXUALITY: Catholics are the single most favorable Christian denomination toward LGBT acceptance in U.S. society: 58% believe homosexuality should be accepted by society versus 30% who do not.
• MARRIAGE EQUALITY: While 46% of all Catholics are opposed to marriage equality for gays and lesbians, 43% do accept full marriage equality. Among Catholics 18-29 years of age 60% are for full marriage equality, compared to 37% who do not.
• LEGAL RECOGNITION OF GAY AND LESBIAN RELATIONSHIPS: 69% of Catholics favor the legalization of the basic rights accorded to married heterosexual couples for gays and lesbians in long-term committed relationships, such as hospital visitation rights, health insurance, and pension coverage. This is a significant statistic compared to 63% of mainline Christians, 36% of white evangelicals, and 44% of black Protestants.

Dr. Palacios concluded by drawing the following implications from the data:

“This data indicates that Catholics are a key religious group in the debate toward the acceptance of civil marriage for same-sex couples. Catholics under 65 favor marriage equality and this number will increase year-by-year as these younger Catholics continue to shape public opinion toward full civil and human rights for gays and lesbians. …

“Bill 18-482 guarantees the protection of each religious organization’s marriage doctrine and practices and not forcing same-sex marriages to be performed in the Catholic Church or other religious organizations.”

To read the full report on Catholics and LGBT Equality, click here.