Groundbreaking Poll Finds Strong Support for Children’s Right to a Mother and Father 11 Years After Obergefell

Survey of 1,200 conservative and moderate voters finds broad agreement that children need both parents — and that support grows the more people engage with the issue

LEXINGTON, KY – A new national survey finds broad agreement on a question many cultural and political leaders have treated as settled since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges: children need a mother and a father.

The poll of 1,200 conservative and moderate likely general-election voters was conducted June 14–16, 2026, by The Decision Co. and released today by the Greater Than coalition—a national alliance of parents, faith leaders, scholars, lawyers, and advocacy organizations dedicated to protecting children’s rights in marriage and family law. The survey comes amid renewed debate over the legal and cultural legacy of Obergefell, released eleven years ago today, finding that 82% of these voters agree no child should be deliberately denied a mother or a father.

Katy Faust, Founder and President of Them Before Us, said:

“For years, the left has portrayed the belief that children deserve both their mother and father as a fringe view. This poll proves otherwise. Among conservative and moderate voters, there is overwhelming agreement that children have a right to both parents whenever possible. At a time when the political right is often described as divided, this issue stands out as one of remarkable unity. The conviction that children should come before adult desires remains a defining value shared across the conservative movement.”

David Walls, Executive Director of The Family Foundation, said:

“The Obergefell decision has had disastrous effects on our society, and children have paid a high price. But despite a sustained onslaught by media and cultural elites devaluing marriage and the rights of children, voters overwhelmingly affirm the fundamental truth that children should be raised and connected to both their mother and father. We must continue to advance this growing consensus to retake marriage for the sake of children, families, and for truth.”

What the survey found

• 96% of these voters say it is important for a child to be raised with both an involved mother and an involved father.
• 82% of those surveyed agree that no child should be deliberately denied a mother or a father.
• 78% agree that when a child’s needs conflict with an adult’s desires, the child’s needs should come first.
• 66% reject the claim that being raised by same-sex parents is no different for a child than being raised by an adoptive mother and father.
• 63% of those surveyed agree that children are harmed when they lose their mother or father to be raised in a same-sex household.

A conviction beyond the pews

The belief is not confined to the religious. Among voters who attend church regularly, 72% agree on legal recognition of a child’s mother and father — but so do 43% of those who never attend church at all, pointing to a conviction many people hold simply about what children need. Additional information and methodology can be found at: greaterthancampaign.com/poll.

A coalition, not a single voice

Greater Than is a national coalition led by Them Before Us, working to retake marriage on behalf of children. It unites parents, nonprofits, faith leaders, scholars, lawyers, and advocates around a simple conviction: every child deserves a mother and a father, and a child’s needs come before adult desires.

The coalition includes over 80 state and national organizations and leaders, including The Family Foundation, Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, the Colson Center, the American Family Association, Allie Beth Stuckey, Michael Knowles, and more.