A new Sienna poll of New York state voters released today shows immense support for same-sex marriage across almost every major demographic, including 58% total support, a comfortable majority. The poll shows majority support for marriage equality from Democrats (65%), Independents (61%), women (60%), men (56%), whites (62%), Latinos (54%), Catholics (57%), and Jews (56%). Surprisingly, by geographic area, what is generally considered the more conservation region of upstate New York polled the highest, with 62%, followed by the suburbs at 60%, and New York City, often perceived as the most liberal part of the state, polling at a majority, albeit slimmer, at 54%.
Support for marriage equality in the Empire state has been growing steadily. Earlier Sienna New York polls on same-sex marriage show 53% support in April, 2009, and 43% to 47% opposed in May of 2007.
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The current poll shows Republicans almost evenly split, with 45% approving of same-sex marriage, and 48% opposed. Black voters were even closer, with 46% supporting and 45% opposing. All age groups except those 55 and over fully support marriage equality by a wide margin, those 55 and up were evenly split — 45% supporting and 46% opposing. Despite strong Catholic and Jewish support, 63% of Protestants were opposed.
Overall, the poll found slightly more than a third of New York voters, 36%, still oppose same-sex marriage.
Governor Cuomo, who the same poll gives a whopping 73% favorability rating, has said he wants to see a same-sex marriage bill by June.
Two years ago this week, former New York Governor David Paterson said Prop 8 an “unfortunate accident†and described the lack of marriage equality as “not a crisis of issues but a crisis of leadership.”