Public Opinion Since Its Declaration

Public Opinion

Since its Declaration of Independence, the United States has prided itself not only on the ideal of democracy and equal opportunities for all, but also on freedom of expression and the right to hold individual opinions on various issues such as religion and other matters of personal concern. This ideal of democracy and freedom of speech, however, has been complicated by the fact of divergent public opinion and the tendency of the American people to attempt subduing the voice of the minority. In politics and public life, democracy and equal rights can hardly be said to be the effective subjugation of the less popular opinion. Furthermore, it is also often the case that the tendency in politics is not in truth representative of the public opinion in the country, with politicians working hard to promote their agendas and ultimate race for power. When considering a specific issues of public opinion such as abortion or gay marriage, there seems to be a particular divergence, not only in public opinion, but also among the politicians who are supposed to represent the public and the rights of all those who make up the public.

According to Bowman (2009), there remains some disparity between the legislature and general public opinion. The author quotes poll results spanning some 50 years to indicate how the public opinion has moved into a more liberal direction when it comes to gay relations in the form of marriage, living together, sexual relations, adoption, and job prospects. She also indicates, however, that the majority of public opinion remains against absolutely unconditional rights for gay partners. At the same time, legislative bodies have moved towards legalizing gay marriage and other rights for homosexual people. It therefore appears that there is a divergence not only among members of the public, but also between the public and the legislative bodies supposed to support the public opinion. On the other hand, is it fair to deny basic rights such as marriage and adoption to a significant sector of society as a result of "moral" objection by the majority of the public? This is an important question when it comes to the ideal of equal rights, democracy, and freedom of speech.

Indeed, just two years after Bowman's article, Silver (2011) indicates the steady decline of gay marriage opponents, which counted in the majority in the year of Silver's article. Like Bowman, Silver quotes poll results to indicate the public opinion. What is particularly interesting here is that he has quoted the fourth credible poll in eight months to indicate the same majority result, specifically with 51% in favor of and 47% against the prospect of legally recognized marriage for same sex partners. What is interesting about this is that the statistics remain somewhat divisive, with a more or less equal proportion of public opinion for and against the prospect of legalizing gay marriage.

Grossman (2003) also offers an interesting assessment in her year of writing, where 50% of the polled public has indicated that legalizing gay marriage would have a "positive or no" effect on society. There is therefore little change between this assessment and the one offered by polls quoted in Silver's (2009) and Bowman's (2011) results. What is particularly interesting about 2012, however, is that, for the first time in history, an American president has spoken specifically for legalizing gay marriage.