A poll released Feb. 19 by Crain's Chicago Business and think tank Ipsos shows support for equal marriage in the state by 21 points.
According to Crain's, 50 percent of the 600 Illinoisans surveyed supported the legalization of same-sex marriage, and just 29 percent opposed it. Another 20 percent of respondents were unsure.
The Crain's poll comes amid a push to legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois. The Senate passed a The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act on Valentine's Day. The bill is expected to face a tougher fight in the House.
But numbers suggest that Illinois residents increasingly favor the measure.
Another poll, released last December by Public Policy Polling, reported that Illinoisans support equal marriage 47/42, with young people and people of color reporting stronger support. Eleven percent in that poll reported uncertainty.
The Crain's poll further found that those supporting marriage equality tended to feel stronger about their position than those who did not.
The Human Rights Campaign, which is part of an Illinois coalition pushing the bill, applauded the news in a blog statement Feb. 19.
"Momentum and public support to make Illinois the tenth state to grant marriage equality is on our side, but our work is not over," the statement the read.
LGBT leaders have been calling on supporters to contact their lawmakers and to ask their friends and family to do the same.
The full HRC statement is available here: www.hrc.org/blog/entry/majority-of-illinoisan-supports-marriage-equality