Just over ten years ago, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. At this time, only 32% of Americans supported the freedom to marry. Since 2003, this percentage has increased 21 points, with 53% of Americans now showing support for same-sex marriage, transforming the American religious landscape.

A major new national survey of more than 4,500 respondents conducted by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), A Shifting Landscape: A Decade of Change in American Attitudes about Same-Sex Marriage and LGBT Issues, finds that while most religious groups opposed same-sex marriage in 2003, today there are religious groups on both sides of the issue.

Major findings from the report showed that:

• Religiously unaffiliated Americans (73%), white mainline Protestants (62%), white Catholics (58%), and Hispanic Catholics (56%) all favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, as do a majority (83%) of Jewish Americans.
• Hispanic Protestants are divided; 46% favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry and 49% oppose. By contrast, nearly 7-in-10 (69%) white evangelical Protestants and nearly 6-in-10 (59%) black Protestants oppose same-sex marriage. Only 27% of white evangelical Protestants and 35% of black Protestants support same-sex marriage.
• A strong majority of (58%) Americans, including 7-in-10 (70%) Millennials (ages 18 to 33), agree that religious groups are alienating young people by being too judgmental about gay and lesbian issues.
• Nearly one-third of Millennials who left their childhood religion to become unaffiliated say negative teachings about or negative treatment of gay or lesbian people were either a somewhat (17%) or very (14%) important factor in their decision to leave.

Age and having a close friend or family member who is gay or lesbian have also become determining factors in shifting attitudes towards same-sex marriage:

• Today, nearly 7-in-10 (69%) Millennials favor same-sex marriage, compared to 37% of Americans who are part of the Silent Generation (ages 68 and older).
• Americans who have a close friend or family member who is gay or lesbian are 27 points more likely than those who do not to favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry (63% vs. 36%). This “friends and family” effect is present across all major demographic, religious and political groups.

PRRI CEO Dr. Robert P. Jones had this to say about his organization’s survey findings:

“While many churches and people in the pews have been moving away from their opposition to LGBT rights over the last decade, this new research provides further evidence that negative teachings on this issue have hurt churches’ ability to attract and retain young people. Nearly one-third of Millennials who left their childhood religion say unfavorable church teachings about or treatment of gay and lesbian people played a significant role in their decision to head for the exit.”

It is clear attitudes are shifting across America as more and more states win the freedom to marriage for committed same-sex couples in their communities. These findings highlight the changing landscape, especially among various religious groups and Millennials.

This survey found even more results about changing attitudes towards same-sex marriage based on age, religion, and political party affiliation, as well as levels of discrimination LGBT Americans still face in all aspects of life. These results can be found here.