Julie Bolcer of The Advocate is reporting that a poll taken at the end of the CPAC Convention produced some surprising results. When given choice of issues to indicate as important, stopping gay marriage only received 1% of the vote.
Part of the explanation may be that a majority of attendees was 25 or under, a demographic that in poll after poll has been shown to be much more accepting of same-sex marriage than their older
According to Hot Air, students and people age 25 and under constituted the majority of respondents, which suggests the poll holds even more implications for the years ahead than the present day:
Respondents picked Paul, a Texas congressman and 2008 presidential candidate, as their 2012 presidential favorite with 31%, ahead of last year’s pick, Mitt Romney, who received 22%. Sarah Palin took 7% and Tim Pawlenty won 6%.
Another poll question seemed to indicate that the antigay agenda was less important. Hot Air noted that only 9% said their most important goal was to promote traditional values by protecting “traditional” marriage and the lives of the unborn.
The poll was criticized for surveying only 2,935 respondents, the majority of them young, out of 10,000 CPAC registrants.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. The list of speakers at the conference was a who's who in anti-gay politics. Will social issues be downplayed in upcoming elections? Will the Glenn Becks and Rick Santorums (he's the one who compared gay men with dog sex) allow anti-gay sentiment to diminish? Stay tuned.
