The following comes from a February 28 release from the Field Poll.

By a nearly two-to-one margin (61% to 32%), California voters approve of allowing same-sex couples to marry. This represents a complete reversal in views about the issue from 1977, when The Field Poll conducted its first survey on this topic and is the highest level of support ever measured by the poll.

Approval of allowing marriage between two people of the same gender includes majorities of men and women, voters in all racial and ethnic groups, and Californians living in each of the major regions of the state. The only subgroups where majorities remain opposed are registered Republicans and voters who classify themselves as conservative in politics.

Six in ten voters (60%) also attach importance to the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling about the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8,the voter-approved initiative banning same-sex marriage in the state. Supporters of same-sex marriage are nearly twice as likely as opponents to say the ruling is important to them.

These are the findings from the latest Field Poll completed earlier this month updating California voter opinions about same-sex marriage and Proposition 8.

Thirty-six year trend in California voter views about same-sex marriage

There has been a complete turn-around during the past thirty-six years regarding how California voters feel about allowing same-sex couples to marry and have regular marriage laws apply to them.

In 1977 the Field Poll found 28% approving and 59% disapproving of same-sex marriages. In nine periodic surveys taken between that time and 2012, there was a steady increase in support for allowing same-sex couples to marry. The latest survey shows 61% of voters approving and 32% disapproving, a record high level of support.

To read the entire story in the Sacramento Bee, click here.