A majority of Americans want the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution "as it was originally written," according to a new Marist poll released Monday.

The poll found 52 percent of Americans think the high court should interpret the Constitution as it was originally written, compared to 40 percent of respondents who thought the court should focus on what the "Constitution means now." An overwhelming majority of self-identified Republicans, 78 percent, share the majority's view, alongside 50 percent of independents.

The Marist poll was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic-based charitable organization.

"[M]ost Americans value the freedoms enumerated in the Constitution and its Bill of Rights, and therefore see as an immediate priority the appointment of justices to the Supreme Court who will interpret the document as written," said Carl Anderson, the supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, in a statement.

The poll also found 80 percent of Americans think it should be an "important" or "immediate priority" to interpret the Constitution as it was originally written.

The Marist poll surveyed 2,729 adults was conducted Dec. 12-19 and has a 1.9 percentage point margin of error.