Family & Relationships

Washington, D.C. The Washington State Supreme Court today ruled, 5-4, that the state constitution does not guarantee a right to same-sex marriage. The decision came after 19 gay and lesbian couples sued to overturn Washington’s Defense of Marriage Act, a 1998 law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. The Pew Forum provides answers to the following […]

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has assembled a variety of resources on the Federal Marriage Amendment, including reports, event transcripts, polling data and news clips. Pew Forum and Pew Research Center Resources | Recent News | Other Resources Pew Forum and Pew Research Center Resources Poll Report: Less Opposition to Gay Marriage, […]

Washington, D.C. The gay marriage movement today suffered back-to-back defeats in two top state courts. The more important decision occurred in New York, where the state’s highest judicial body, the Court of Appeals, ruled that the state constitution does not guarantee the right of gay people to marry. Meanwhile, Georgia’s Supreme Court overturned a lower […]

It’s not just internet dating services that are changing the way people meet and court each other...

The traditional holiday phone call to mom may not have the impact it once had -- not because fewer sons and daughters remember to call, but because more are already talking to mom every other day of the year.

These edicts represent the collective judgment of the American public when asked to assess the moral dimensions of different kinds of behaviors.

Summary of Findings Public acceptance of homosexuality has increased in a number of ways in recent years, though it remains a deeply divisive issue. Half of Americans (51%) continue to oppose legalizing gay marriage, but this number has declined significantly from 63% in February 2004, when opposition spiked following the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision and […]

That degree of familiarity with — and proximity to — interracial marriage is the latest milestone in what has been a sweeping change in behaviors and attitudes concerning interracial relationships over the past several decades.

A nationwide survey finds that just about every breed of human owner considers their pet to be family. But some groups are more disposed than others to feel this way.

There is now relatively broad public contact with the online dating world. Yet, dating sites are just one of many online avenues that facilitate romantic connections.