NPR highlights the new Pew Research poll that suggests Senator Rob Portman has company:
A new poll from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press suggests that many Americans have changed their minds — going from opposing to supporting same-sex marriage — because they personally know someone who is gay.
Overall, 28 percent of gay-marriage supporters say they used to be opponents. The reason most often given was that someone in their personal circle — a family member, friend or acquaintance — is gay.
The survey indicates that 16 percent of all Americans say they have changed their mind one way or the other on the issue; most overwhelmingly (14 percent of the 16 percent) switched from opposing to supporting gay marriage.
In the poll conducted between March 13 and March 17, 49 percent of those surveyed said they support gay marriage, while 44 percent said they are opposed. The margin of error was just shy of 4.5 percentage points.
Ten years ago, 56 percent of those surveyed said they opposed same-sex marriage, and 34 percent supported it.