Many oppose gay marriage
Pulse of the Nation | In an exclusive survey conducted by Ipsos, 2 219 registered voters were each asked a series of questions about key issues facing South Africa. Each voter was presented with two statements on the issues and asked which was closest to
THE South African government’s effective neutrality on a new raft of laws further punishing homosexuality in Uganda appears to be mirrored by a well-entrenched moral conservatism on the subject of gay rights in South African society.
Some 48% of all registered voters surveyed believe gay and lesbian couples should not be allowed to marry. Only 28% believe they should be allowed to marry, whereas 13% are neutral on the subject and 11% say they do not know.
Other people say the law should allow gay couples to marry each other
These were the findings when a representative sample of voters were presented with the statement: “Some people say the law should prevent gay and lesbian couples from marrying each other because marriage is an institution solely for a relationship between a man and a woman. Other people say the law should allow gay couples to marry each other because we are all equal before the law and to prevent them marrying each other would violate their constitutional rights.” They were asked which view best represented their own.
South Africa was the fifth country and the first in Africa to legalise same-sex marriage in 2006.
The results did not vary significantly by race or party affiliation.
By race, 50% of black voters, 37% of white, 50% of Indian and 48% of coloured voters agreed that gay and lesbian citizens should not be allowed to marry, compared with 27% of black voters, 32% of white and Indian, and 30% of coloured voters who believed they should, in the name of equality and in accordance with their constitutional rights.
By party, the results were as follows: 49% of ANC voters, 41% of Democratic Alliance voters and 37% of Economic Freedom Fighters voters believed gay and lesbian couples should not be allowed to marry.
In the other direction, 29% of ANC voters, 31% of DA voters and 37% of EFF voters believed they should be allowed to marry, making the EFF voters the most progressive on this issue.
In each case, the outstanding percentage was those voters who were neutral, did not know or refused to answer.