Australian Public opinion on Homosexual Marriage

A nationally representative sample of 1204 Australian adults was

interviewed on the topic of same sex marriage.

Selection for inclusion in the survey was random, and participation was

voluntary.

The survey showed that:

(1) When questions were asked of a similar nature to those asked in

widely published opinion polls, the results were much the same,

namely, that 58% of Australians agree that same sex couples should

have the right to marry.

(2) However, the current survey went further and also asked if

Australians support or oppose changing the Marriage Act to include

same sex marriage. Only 49% supported changing the Marriage Act.

(3) The current survey also found that Australians are quite divided in

their opinion of this, with large gaps between men and women,

between those with religious affiliations and non-religious people,

between those with different political views, and between older and

younger Australians. Those most in favour of change are women,

younger Australians, those not aligned to any religion, and nonCoalition voters. Those most opposed to change are men, older

Australians, those who hold religious views, and Coalition voters.

(4) The survey also found that many Australians feel uncomfortable

about pushing ahead with changes to the Marriage Act if this move is

divisive, with support for changing the Marriage Act dropping to

35% if there is a divisive climate of opinion on this issue.

(5) When asked how strongly they feel about the issue of changing the

Marriage Act, only 14% were found to be strongly in support of the

change, with 18% strongly opposed to any change.