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Study: Single Moms Less Accepted In Society Than Gay Couples

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Is "My Two Dads" becoming more popular than "How I Met Your Mother?"

A new study suggests public support for gay marriage continues to edge upward, even eclipsing acceptance for single moms.

The Pew Research Center conducted a national survey of 2,691 Americans and found attitudes towards the traditional family structure shifting toward an increased support for families led by gay and lesbian parents.

Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center, tells KFWB's Maggie McKay that the results may reveal a social "pressure" to adapt to family structural changes.

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Taylor says that while a 100 percent of respondents considered a traditional father-mother-children dynamic to be a family, only 7 in 10 respondents believed that a child raised by a single mom represented a true family.

The survey grouped respondents into three classes: those who rejected all trends, those who accepted all trends, and those who warily accepted the trends but remained skeptical about "the impact of these trends on society."

About 68 percent of Americans accepted the changing social dynamic, while over half were skeptical of the ultimate impact on the culture.

A mere four percent believed that single motherhood has a positive impact on society, while 70 percent believed those households are "bad for society."

For complete results of the study, visit the Pew Research center's website.

(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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