Irish Poll Shows 75 Percent Support for Gay Marriage

12 percentage point increase since 2008

There has been a 12 percentage point increase in support of same-sex civil marriages since 2008, according to a new poll.

The poll, which was carried out in late 2012 by Millward Brown Lansdowne for Marriage Equality, shows 75 per cent of people would vote yes in a referendum to extend civil marriage to same-sex couples. In 2008, 63 per cent of respondents said they would vote yes.

The only age range where the majority of people said they would vote no is the over-65s, which went from 27 per cent in 2008 to 43 per cent.

A further two out of three people said they felt Ireland's reputation as a modern society will be strengthened by allowing same-sex couples to have civil marriages, while three out of five people agree that allowing same-sex couples to have civil marriages will promote a more tolerant environment in Ireland.