By Nima Reza

New poll finds only 33 percent of Americans favor, a 9-point drop since April

The number of Americans who support same-sex marriage has plunged over the last few months, according to a new poll.

The CBS News/New York Times study found that 33 percent of respondents favor same-sex marriage. That represents a 9 percent drop since April.

Everett Rice, legislative coordinator for the California Family Council, said he has a theory about the decrease.

“People really recognize their core and their values, their heritage,” he said. “When people want to go in and redefine that, it really goes against everybody’s individual cultural understanding.”

California has been the site of many protests, some violent, since voters passed Proposition 8 in November. The measure defines marriage in the state Constitution as solely the union of one man and one woman – and has been met with outrage by many gay activists.

Gary Schneeberger, vice president of media and public relations for Focus on the Family Action, said the new poll numbers could very well represent a backlash from Americans who have seen several New England states legalize gay marriage through their legislatures, not the vote of the people.

The poll results also seem to indicate people are not relying solely on the mainstream news media to get their information on the issue of same-sex marriage.

“In reporting the results of its own poll, CBS used the word ‘dip’ to describe the 9 percent plunge in support for gay marriage,” Schneeberger said. “In elections, it’s considered a landslide when a candidate wins by 10 points. So to describe this as a ‘dip’ pretty clearly illustrates where CBS, at least, stands on this issue.”