The level of American support for so-called same-sex marriage has dwindled over the past year, while support for the practice among Republicans has fallen substantially.

The percentage of respondents to a survey from Gallup approving of so-called same-sex marriage has decreased from 71% in 2023 to 69% in 2024, a trend driven by lower support among those who identify as Republicans. Some 83% of Democrats, 46% of Republicans, and 74% of independents affirmed in the survey that they currently support the practice.

Even as independent and Democratic support has largely plateaued, Republican favorability toward so-called same-sex marriage has decreased from 55% in 2022 to 46% in 2024.

The shift occurs as lawmakers and the court system increasingly count “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as legally protected categories, often conflicting with the religious liberties of conservative Christians. The cultural advent of transgenderism, marked by campaigns to supply hormone blockers or gender surgeries to children and instances of males dominating female sports, have also been subjects of controversy among Republicans in recent years.

Gallup has tracked the proportion of Americans who believe so-called “marriages between same-sex couples should or should not be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages,” for nearly three decades. The share of respondents answering that question affirmatively has steadily risen from 27% in 1996.

The majority of Democrats have supported so-called same-sex marriage since 2004, while the majority of independents started supporting the practice in 2011. The majority of Republican respondents affirmed support of the practice in both 2021 and 2022.