Over the past few years Americans has become less averse to gay couples raising children. In 2007, fully half the public (50%) said that the increasing number of gay and lesbian couples raising children was a bad thing for society. Currently, just 35% say gay couples raising children is a bad thing. Far more Americans now say gay couples raising children does not make much difference (34% in 2007, 48% today), while the number saying it is a good thing for society has not changed much (11% then, 14% today). While there continue to be sizable partisan differences in opinions about gay parenting, negative views have declined across-the-board. A 53%-majority of Republicans say gay couples raising children is a bad thing for society, but this opinion has fallen by 17 points since 2007. Younger adults are less likely to say gay parenting is a bad thing for society than are older adults, and college graduates are less likely than those with a high school education or less to say it’s a bad thing. Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.