GERMANY: 68% Back Same-Sex Marriage

In a YouGov poll issued today, more than two-thirds of German voters and a majority of those belonging to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party say they support same-sex marriage. Via Germany’s edition of The Local:

With 68 percent in favour, support has grown by around 3 percent on this issue since YouGov last conducted the poll less than 12 months ago. Across the political spectrum, Germans said they wanted to see a change in the law.

A total of 61 percent of voters for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Union said they were for legalization, suggesting that the Chancellor’s opposition to gay marriage is now out of step with her own voter base.

Support on the left of German politics was expectedly high. Social Democrat and Die Linke (left party) voters both gave 79 percent approval to same-sex marriage, while 87 percent of Green voters were in favour.

The poll also sought to find out opinions from within church congregations – again support for equality was high. Sixty eight percent of Catholics were in favour and 67 percent of Protestants. Within both religions, just over a quarter of respondents did not want the law changed.

Germany legalized civil unions in 2001.