A new Public Policy Polling poll has found that 57 percent of Rhode Island voters approve marriage equality while only 36 percent do not. The poll also found that 31 percent prefer civil unions over marriage, but civil unions have not been successful in Rhode Island since they passed in 2011. Only 13 percent oppose any legal recognition of same-sex couples. The most recent poll, from October, similarly found a majority support for equality, with a 56–36 split. Despite the broad support, it’s unclear how soon or swiftly Senate Democrats will act now that the marriage equality bill has passed the House.
Update:
The Rhode Island State Council of Churches voted to endorse marriage equality today, calling it an issue of “social justice, civil rights, and conscience.”