Support For Marriage Equality Weakening In Australia, New Poll Reveals
Australians are filing postal ballots in a national survey on marriage equality, but new polling shows opposition is on the rise.
A poll of 1,695 voters by Galaxy Research found support for same-sex marriage dipped in the past five weeks, from 63% to 57%. Opposition, meanwhile, has grown from 30% to 34%. (Conducted last week, the poll has a 2.4% margin of error.)
The results should be taken with a grain of salt, though: The poll conducted for the right-leaning The Australian, owned by Rupert Murdoch, and suggests Australians are increasingly worried about "religious freedom." Previously surveys have consistently shown more than 60% of Australians back same-sex marriage.
The results for the postal survey will be announced November 15—and while they're not binding, parliament is expected to lift the ban in a matter of weeks should "Yes" votes take the day. But LGBT activists worry a "No" victory—or even a close call—will set the cause back years.
Since the plebiscite was announced, anti-equality forces have come out swinging with homophobic posters, ads and commercials. There have also been reports of ballots being tampered with, dumped, and sold on eBay.