Same-Sex Marriage Approval

What percent of Americans approve of same-sex marriage?

1. How accurate was your prediction?

2. What trend do you see in the data?

3. What are two factors which help explain this trend?

4. What are two consequences of this trend?

5. How would you answer the survey??? Do you personally support same-sex marriage?

6. Do you personally support opposite-sex marriage?

7. In 2015 with the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, same-sex marriage became legal nationwide. At that time, what percent of Americans approved of same-sex marriage?

8. Describe what you think the numbers in the chart above will look like in 20 years?

9. Describe how attitudes towards same-sex marriage vary by political party affiliation?*

10. Describe How attitudes towards same-sex marriage vary by age?

11. What about the ideologies of the Democratic and Republican parties predisposes them to their Platform positions towards same-sex marriage?

12. This is completely hypothetical and impossible to prove, however...which of the Framers of the Constitution do you think would have been most supportive of same-sex marriage and which would have been most opposed? Explain.

13. Here is a claim: Now that same-sex marriage is legal, there is no reason to continue to ask Americans if they approve of same-sex marriage. Respond to this claim and support your response with logic, reason, and fact (just like all politicians do).

14. What does the issue of same-sex marriage have to do with federalism?

15. What does the issue of same-sex marriage have to do with checks and balances?

16. Could the Supreme Court ever change its ruling on same-sex marriage?

17. Imagine that A person wants the U.S. Congress to pass a law outlawing same-sex marriage. Explain whether that law would make same-sex marriage illegal again.

18. Explain whether it would be possible to de-legalize same-sex marriage in the United States today, and if so, how that could happen.

19. Some claim that it is undemocratic for the Supreme Court to rule on things like same-sex marriage instead of voting on it. How do you respond to this claim?

Visual Extension*

Learning Extension

Listen to the Obergefell v. Hodges - Opinion Announcement - June 26, 2015 (Part 1) 8:57 Supreme Court of the United States

Action Extension

Ask one person from each of the following age groups whether they approve of same-sex marriage. Share your results in class or online.

• 10-25

• 26-40

• 41-55

• 56-70

• Over 71

• Over 102??? (kidding!)

• Between 4 and 14 months??? (kidding!)

Uh-oh