The Diverging Trajectories of Same-Sex Marriage & Abortion

December 16, 2021

Chart showing the percentage of Americans who say same-sex marriages should be recognized by the law as valid and percentage who say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

In 1996, Americans were far more supportive of legal abortion than allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. Only 31 percent of Americans favored same-sex marriage in the mid-1990s while nearly six in 10 (57 percent) said abortion should be legal in at least some circumstances. Today, nearly seven in 10 (69 percent) Americans believe gay and lesbian people should be allowed to marry. Views of abortion have remained relatively unchanged—60 percent say abortion should be legal. The massive 38-point increase in public support for same-sex marriage was due to a variety of unique factors, including the widespread belief that it was inevitable.

Survey Reports

Cartoon rendering of a series of different online dating app prospects, on phone screens

Daniel A. Cox
February 9, 2023

From Swiping to Sexting: The Enduring Gender Divide in American Dating and Relationships

The January 2023 American Perspectives Survey sheds some light on dating preferences, experiences, and perspectives. The national survey of more than 5,000 adults age 18 and older, including nearly 800 single adults, finds that Americans have strong dating preferences when it comes to living at home, being unemployed, and smoking.

Red leather-bound Qur'an on a wooden table with prayer beads and a light blue surgical mask draped over top.

Lindsey Witt-Swanson, Jennifer Benz, Daniel A. Cox
January 5, 2023

Faith After the Pandemic: How COVID-19 Changed American Religion

The Survey Center on American Life at AEI teamed up with researchers at NORC at the University of Chicago to measure religious affiliation and attendance both before the pandemic (2018 to March 2020) and again in spring 2022, revealing who remained at the pews, who returned to the pews, and who left.

A cartoon showing a vibrant office from the ceiling view.

Brent Orrell, Daniel A. Cox, Jessie Wall
October 25, 2022

The Social Workplace: Social Capital, Human Dignity, and Work in America

Over the past two decades, American social and civic life has been on an undeniable downward trajectory. New research finds that the workplace remains an increasingly important generator of social capital in the wake of this civic contraction.

Photograph of pro-choice protestors holding signs

Karlyn Bowman, Daniel A. Cox
October 4, 2022

Gender, Generation and Abortion: Shifting Politics and Perspectives After Roe

In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the issue of abortion continues to garner widespread public attention. Young women are following the debate over abortion rights closely and more intensely than other Americans. How will it affect their vote in the upcoming election and their approach to politics?