---
title: "Support for gay marriage up among black Protestants in last year, flat among white evangelicals"
description: "New Pew Research Center data from 2014 show that just within the past year, growing shares of some Christian groups favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry."
date: "2014-03-17"
authors:
  - name: "Michael Lipka"
    job_title: "Associate Director, Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/michael-lipka/"
  - name: "Elizabeth Podrebarac Sciupac"
    job_title: "Former Senior Researcher"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/elizabeth-podrebarac-sciupac/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/03/17/support-for-gay-marriage-up-among-black-protestants-in-last-year-flat-among-white-evangelicals/"
categories:
  - "Beliefs & Practices"
  - "Religion & LGBTQ Acceptance"
  - "Religion & Politics"
  - "Same-Sex Marriage"
  - "Same-Sex Marriage"
---

# Support for gay marriage up among black Protestants in last year, flat among white evangelicals

[![Views of same-sex marriage by religion](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2014/03/FT_Same_Sex.png)](http://features.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/religion/same-sex-marriage-attitudes/slide3.php)

[The long-standing tension](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/03/20/growing-support-for-gay-marriage-changed-minds-and-changing-demographics/) between religious beliefs and the idea of same-sex marriage has been a key factor at play behind recently proposed bills in several states, most visibly in Arizona, aimed at protecting business owners who have [religious objections to same-sex marriage](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/02/25/arizona-bill-sparks-debate-about-religious-objections-to-gay-marriage/). At the same time, however, new Pew Research Center data from 2014 show that just within the past year, [growing shares of some Christian groups](http://features.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/religion/same-sex-marriage-attitudes/slide3.php) favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.

The sharpest change has occurred among black Protestants, only 32% of whom favored same-sex marriage in our aggregated 2013 polling. A survey we conducted last month found that figure has now risen to 43%.

There also has been an uptick in support for same-sex marriage among white mainline Protestants (from 55% in 2013 to 62% this year). Debates are ongoing within some mainline churches about whether to conduct same-sex marriages.

Perhaps reflecting the changing views of the laity, the head United Methodist Church bishop in New York [announced last week](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/11/nyregion/methodist-bishop-to-end-trials-for-ministers-who-perform-gay-weddings.html) that he will end trials in his region of ministers who officiate same-sex weddings against official church teaching. But other church leaders do not appear ready to take such steps: Later last week, [formal complaints were filed](http://unitedmethodistreporter.com/2014/03/13/formal-complaints-filed-bishop-talbert/) at the request of the denomination’s Council of Bishops against a retired bishop [who performed a wedding](http://s3.amazonaws.com/Website_Properties/news-media/documents/talbert-complaint-filed-march-13-2014.pdf) for two Alabama men in October.

Although the changes among Catholics in the past year have not been statistically significant, support for same-sex marriage has increased among that group over the past several years. Roughly six-in-ten U.S. Catholics (59%) now favor same-sex marriage.

Despite a modest increase over the past decade, white evangelical Protestants are the main exception to the more recent trend of growing support for same-sex marriage. The new poll found that 23% of this group supports same-sex marriage, the same share as last year.

The changes – or lack thereof – among these groups come amid a quickly shifting legal landscape on the issue. Since the beginning of 2013, [eight states have legalized same-sex marriage](http://features.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/religion/same-sex-marriage-state-by-state/) and the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a key part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, requiring the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages from the 17 states where they are legal (plus the District of Columbia). Pending court appeals [could lead to legal same-sex marriages in several more states](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/27/gays-lesbians-marriage-same-sex-supreme-court/5876363/).