One of the concerns expressed by some Conservatives over David Cameron’s plan to introduce gay marriage is that the measure lacks public support. The most recent YouGov poll, however, found that a plurality, if not a majority, of voters support the proposal. In total, forty three per cent of voters support same sex marriage, compared with 32 per cent who oppose gay marriage but support civil partnerships, and 15 per cent who oppose both.
Graphic by Henrik Pettersson.
But worryingly for Cameron, while 51 per cent of Labour voters and 53 per cent of Lib Dems support same sex marriage, just 30 per cent of Conservatives do. Worse, only 21 per cent think that the PM favours gay marriage because he “genuinely believes that it is the right thing do”. The majority of voters (63 per cent) agree that he “does not believe it is right, but is doing it for political reasons”.
Thus, despite the absence of any evidence to support this view (Cameron, once a supporter of Section 28, underwent a clear conversion to gay rights), most voters believe that the PM is acting out of cynical motives. As YouGov’s Peter Kellner writes, “This is bad news, not only for Mr Cameron, and indeed not only for the Conservatives, but for the reputation of our political system.”
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