New Poll: Marriage Equality Support at Record High in Wake of SCOTUS Ruling

According to a new USA Today poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, a majority of Americans now support same-sex marriage - a record high, which comes after the Supreme Court's landmark rulings on the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8.

"By an unprecedented 55 percent to 40 percent, Americans say marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by law as valid, with the same rights of traditional marriage," USA Today writes. "That's the highest level of support since Gallup began asking the question in 1996. Then, fewer than half that number, 27 percent, backed the idea."

The poll also found that the only major demographic groups where a majority oppose same-sex marriage are Republicans (68 percent) and Senior Citizens over 65 years old (51 percent). Surprisingly, the research discovered that gay marriage opposition in the south dropped below 50 percent.

Regarding the Supreme Court's rulings last week, 48 percent to 43 percent of those surveyed supported the justices' decision to strike down Section 3 of the DOMA, which prohibited married same-sex couples from claiming over 1,000 federal benefits.

"Views on the issue are intense. Those who feel strongly about the issue split 29 percent - 29 percent in favor and against the ruling," USA Today adds.

Last week gay rights supporters and advocates saw a major victory when the Supreme Court found DOMA unconstitutional and dismissed the Proposition 8 case on lack of standing, restoring gay marriage in California.

"Neither one of those decisions is as a legal matter a huge gay rights victory," Tom Goldstein, a Harvard Law School professor and publisher of SCOTUSblog, told USA Today. "But it's the moral message from the court that these unions are entitled to equal respect ... that is probably the lasting legacy of the decisions and is probably going to play a significant role in public opinion."

Over the past few months, a number of polls have shown support for gay marriage has increased, hitting record highs.

In June, just before the high court handed down their rulings, a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll found 58 percent of California's registered voters believed same-sex couples should be able to legally tie the knot. A similar poll by the Public Policy of Institute of California found that 56 percent of Californians supported marriage equality.

In March, an ABC News and Washington Post poll also revealed that 58 percent of Americans favor gay marriage.