Polls of the Week: May 18

Black support for same-sex marriage grows, plus more.

Americans Weigh In - Congress loses a popularity contest, the number of interracial marriages in the United States reaches all-time high, President Obama gets kudos for fiscal cliff dealings, plus more national polls. – Joyce Jones and Britt Middleton

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America Weighs In - African-Americans support President Obama on same-sex marriage, Mitt Romney’s favorability hits all-time high, Americans question the value of a college education, plus more top polls. —Joyce Jones and Britt Middleton

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Backing Marriage Equality - In an ABC/Washington Post poll, 54 percent of African-Americans said they viewed President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage favorably. The poll results, released on May 15, show a 13 point difference from a similar poll conducted in 2011, in which only 41 percent of Blacks said they supported gay marriage. Conversely, among whites, 45 percent said they supported Obama’s position, a 9-point difference from the 54 percent who said they supported same-sex marriage in March.(Photo: UPI/Alexis C. Glenn/Landov)

The End of Pleasantries - Has America lost its morals? Yes, according to a recent Gallup poll. Forty-three percent of respondents characterized the state of moral values in the U.S. as “poor,” and 73 percent said things are only getting worse, up from 69 percent last year. About 19 percent said American values are getting better while 5 percent said they remained the same.(Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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The End of Pleasantries - Has America lost its morals? Yes, according to a recent Gallup poll. Forty-three percent of respondents characterized the state of moral values in the U.S. as “poor,” and 73 percent said things are only getting worse, up from 69 percent last year. About 19 percent said American values are getting better while 5 percent said they remained the same.(Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Obama Is for the Young - If you’re younger than 40, then you’re an Obama supporter — at least according to respondents to a Gallup poll published May 18. Voters aged 18-29 prefer Obama to Romney by 21 percent, while the senior set, aged 70 and older, favor Romney by a 14-point margin.(Photo: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

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Obama Is for the Young - If you’re younger than 40, then you’re an Obama supporter — at least according to respondents to a Gallup poll published May 18. Voters aged 18-29 prefer Obama to Romney by 21 percent, while the senior set, aged 70 and older, favor Romney by a 14-point margin.(Photo: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

Race Matters - Voters are divided by race when choosing between Obama and Romney. A Gallup poll published May 18 shows that among non-Hispanic whites, Romney leads Obama by 54 percent to 37 percent and non-Hispanic Blacks prefer Obama by 76 percent to 16 percent.(Photos: Alex Wong/Getty Images; AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

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Race Matters - Voters are divided by race when choosing between Obama and Romney. A Gallup poll published May 18 shows that among non-Hispanic whites, Romney leads Obama by 54 percent to 37 percent and non-Hispanic Blacks prefer Obama by 76 percent to 16 percent.(Photos: Alex Wong/Getty Images; AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

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Romney Grows More Popular - Romney is gaining juice. Not only did the GOP candidate raise almost as money as Obama in April, but now Americans say they like him. A Gallup poll published May 17 shows that his approval rating has climbed to 50 percent — his highest ever — up from 39 percent in February. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

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Romney Grows More Popular - Romney is gaining juice. Not only did the GOP candidate raise almost as money as Obama in April, but now Americans say they like him. A Gallup poll published May 17 shows that his approval rating has climbed to 50 percent — his highest ever — up from 39 percent in February. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Bridging Boundaries - Mormonsandgays.org, a website from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, outlines the church's stance on the issue and features "conversations with Church members who are attracted to people of the same sex, and conversations with the loved ones of gay spouses, children, or grandchildren who are dealing with the effects of same-sex attraction in their own lives," according to the website. (Photo: George Frey/Getty Images)

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Church and State - Americans want to maintain a separation between religion and politics. Fifty-four percent of respondents to a Pew Research Center poll said churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters compared to 40 percent who say religious leaders should weigh in on social and political issues.(Photo: George Frey/Getty Images)

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Is College Worth It? - With undergraduate college tuition and housing costs estimated at nearly $13,000 a year at public universities and more than $32,000 annually at private institutions, not everyone thinks the degree is money well spent. Seventy percent of people surveyed by Pew Research on May 17 said college is too expensive for most Americans to afford while 57 percent said colleges fail to give students good value for the money spent. Despite overall criticism of college expenses, 94 percent of parents who had at least one child under the age of 18 said they expect their child to go to college.(Photo: Tacoma News Tribune/MCT/Landov)

Not So Moderate on the Economy - Key swing voters have more than their independence from a particular party in common. When it comes to the economy, they are not thrilled with what they're hearing from Obama or Romney. In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, 54 percent said they view the president's economic plans unfavorably. Mitt Romney fares only slightly better with 47 percent who said the same of his plans for the economy. (Photo: Edward Linsmier/Getty Images)

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Romney on the Issues - Who doesn’t want more money in their wallets? An ABC News/Washington Post poll published May 16 found that 48 percent of Americans favorably view Romney’s 20-percent federal tax cut proposal, compared to 39 percent who disapprove. When it comes to repealing the Affordable Care Act, it’s a different story. Americans are divided on the hot-button issue and view his plan favorably and unfavorably by an even margin of 40 percent.(Photo: Edward Linsmier/Getty Images)

Manifesting Wealth - And speaking of more money in one’s wallet, 63 percent of Americans surveyed in a Gallup poll released on March 16 said they expected to be better off financially a year from now, up from 52 percent in 2008. When looking at their current situations, however, only 37 percent said they are better off now than a year ago, 42 percent said worse off, and 20 percent reported they are in the same place.   (Photo: UPI/Aaron M. Sprecher/Landov)

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Manifesting Wealth - And speaking of more money in one’s wallet, 63 percent of Americans surveyed in a Gallup poll released on March 16 said they expected to be better off financially a year from now, up from 52 percent in 2008. When looking at their current situations, however, only 37 percent said they are better off now than a year ago, 42 percent said worse off, and 20 percent reported they are in the same place.  (Photo: UPI/Aaron M. Sprecher/Landov)