More than half of the nation’s Latinos are in favor of same-sex marriage, according to a survey released on Thursday, dispelling a long-standing notion that their religious beliefs offered a safe path to Republicans looking to stake a claim in the community through shared social values.

Just six years ago, 56 percent of Latinos were against same-sex marriage. Today, their rate of approval stands at 52 percent over all and slightly higher — 54 percent — among Latino Catholics, the survey by the Pew Research Center found.

Latino evangelicals, on the other hand, remain strongly opposed to same-sex marriage, affirming their conservative credentials in a demographic group whose politics and positions, liberal and conservative, have become more in line with Americans over all. Partisanship among Latinos continued to be lopsided: 70 percent identified themselves as Democrats or leaning toward the Democratic Party. (The survey found 51 percent of the electorate over all identified as Democrat or leaning Democrat.)

Latino registered voters — Catholics, Protestants and those who are not linked to a particular religion — support President Obama over his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, by a 3-to-1 ratio, even as support for the candidates among the general electorate is more balanced, according to the survey released Thursday morning.