Conn. poll shows support for gay marriages

HARTFORD, Conn., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- A poll released Tuesday indicated 53 percent of Connecticut respondents agree with last week's court ruling legalizing same-sex marriages in the state.

The Hartford (Conn.) Courant poll said 42 percent of those asked didn't support the state Supreme Court ruling and the results were split along political party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting the ruling and Republicans equally opposed.

Independent respondents favored the ruling, 52 percent to 44 percent.

The survey was significant in that Connecticut has a measure on the November ballot asking if a constitutional convention should be held, which could conceivably lead to an amendment banning same-sex marriages, the newspaper said.

"This is still a highly contentious issue within the state of Connecticut. The overwhelming majority of folks feel very strongly on this," Samuel Best, director of the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of Connecticut, told the Courant.

The center conducted the survey last weekend polled 502 adults and had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.