62% of US Backs Same-Sex Unions

Nearly two-thirds of Americans support same-sex unions, though not necessarily marriage, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds. While 38% of respondents said gay couples should be allowed to marry, another 24% said they should be granted legal rights via civil unions, for a grand total of 62% who back same-sex unions. Some 33% said same-sex couples should not be legally recognized at all.

The results are more striking when broken down by age, notes CBS: Though the percentage of those 18 to 44 who oppose legal recognition is about the same as the overall average, a full 53% in that age group support gay marriage. That’s dramatically different from the opinion of respondents age 45 and over, just 24% of whom support full marriage rights. Not surprisingly, Democrats are also far more likely to support legal recognition than Republicans. Click for the full results. (Read more same-sex marriage stories.)