The Demographics of Gay Marriage
A 2011 study by the Pew Research Center, showed that Americans are sharply divided over whether the changes the American family - including the growing acceptance of same-sex couples - has undergone in the past half-century are good for America.
Americans are generally divided into thirds, those who accept major social changes, those who reject it, and those who are tolerant but skeptical of it, the study showed.
Those tolerant skeptics were most conflicted of the three groups when asked what impact more same-sex couples raising children had on American society. A little more than half said that same-sex couples raising children made no difference to society, 14 percent said it was good, and less than 30 percent thought it was bad for society.
Those in the other two groups were much less conflicted.
More than 80 percent of people who were likely to accept social change thought that more gay and lesbian couples raising children is either good for American society or made no difference.
Of those who reject change, the vast majority (at nearly 90 percent of those surveyed) said that gay and lesbian couples raising children is bad for society.
