Gay people are viewed more favourably than evangelicals, according to a poll commissioned by an American LGBT rights group.

In the survey by Human Rights Campaign and Americans for Marriage Equality fifty three per cent of people said they felt favourably towards gays and lesbians, compared to 42 per cent towards evangelicals.

18 per cent of people said they viewed gays ad lesbians unfavourably, compared to 28 per cent for evangelicals.

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Entitled “Victory in Sight”, the study was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and TargetPoint Consulting and aimed to investigate people’s changing attitudes towards same-sex marriage and homosexuality in general.

Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: UK's first gay weddings Show all 16 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: UK's first gay weddings 1/16 First gay marriages Lesbian couple Sarah Keith (left) and Emma Powell embrace while posing for photographs after their same-sex wedding at the Claremont Hotel in Brighton Reuters 2/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai, center, and Sinclair Treadway, right, pose for photographers with the openly gay mayor of Camden Jonathan Simpson, left, after they were announced officially married in a wedding ceremony in the Council Chamber at Camden Town Hall in London, Saturday 29 March, 2014 AP 3/16 First gay marriages Helen Brearley (right) and Teresa Millward pose for photographs after getting married at Halifax Register Office Getty Images 4/16 First gay marriages Gay couple Neil Allard (right) and Andrew Wale are married in the Music Room of Brighton's Royal Pavilion shortly after midnight in one of the UK's first same-sex weddings Getty Images 5/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai, third from left, and Sinclair Treadway, fourth from left, pose for photographs with, from left, the openly gay mayor of Camden Jonathan Simpson, deputy superintendent registrar Steven Lord and registrar officer Tania Uddin AP 6/16 First gay marriages A woman waves a rainbow flag as gay couple Peter McGraith and David Cabreza leave Islington Town Hall Getty Images 7/16 First gay marriages A solitary demonstrator holds a placard in protest against the legalisation of same sex marriage, outside St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey, London PA 8/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sinclair Treadway look jovial as they tie the knot in front of around 100 guests AP 9/16 First gay marriages The rainbow flag flies above British Cabinet Offices, marking the first day Britain has allowed same sex marriages, in London Reuters 10/16 First gay marriages Lesbian couple Sarah Keith and Emma Powell (left) react after their same-sex wedding at the Claremont Hotel in Brighton Reuters 11/16 First gay marriages A pair of shoes are pictured on a chair at a place setting during the reception after the same-sex wedding of couple Sarah Keith and Emma Powell in Brighton Reuters 12/16 First gay marriages Camden mayor Jonathan Simpson speaks during the ceremony, which took place just after midnight on Saturday AP 13/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai looks on as his new husband Sinclair Treadway signs official documents AP 14/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sinclair Treadway hold hands as they celebrate their marriage AP 15/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sinclair Treadway toast married life AP 16/16 First gay marriages Sealed with a kiss: Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sinclair Treadway make it official AP 1/16 First gay marriages Lesbian couple Sarah Keith (left) and Emma Powell embrace while posing for photographs after their same-sex wedding at the Claremont Hotel in Brighton Reuters 2/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai, center, and Sinclair Treadway, right, pose for photographers with the openly gay mayor of Camden Jonathan Simpson, left, after they were announced officially married in a wedding ceremony in the Council Chamber at Camden Town Hall in London, Saturday 29 March, 2014 AP 3/16 First gay marriages Helen Brearley (right) and Teresa Millward pose for photographs after getting married at Halifax Register Office Getty Images 4/16 First gay marriages Gay couple Neil Allard (right) and Andrew Wale are married in the Music Room of Brighton's Royal Pavilion shortly after midnight in one of the UK's first same-sex weddings Getty Images 5/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai, third from left, and Sinclair Treadway, fourth from left, pose for photographs with, from left, the openly gay mayor of Camden Jonathan Simpson, deputy superintendent registrar Steven Lord and registrar officer Tania Uddin AP 6/16 First gay marriages A woman waves a rainbow flag as gay couple Peter McGraith and David Cabreza leave Islington Town Hall Getty Images 7/16 First gay marriages A solitary demonstrator holds a placard in protest against the legalisation of same sex marriage, outside St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey, London PA 8/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sinclair Treadway look jovial as they tie the knot in front of around 100 guests AP 9/16 First gay marriages The rainbow flag flies above British Cabinet Offices, marking the first day Britain has allowed same sex marriages, in London Reuters 10/16 First gay marriages Lesbian couple Sarah Keith and Emma Powell (left) react after their same-sex wedding at the Claremont Hotel in Brighton Reuters 11/16 First gay marriages A pair of shoes are pictured on a chair at a place setting during the reception after the same-sex wedding of couple Sarah Keith and Emma Powell in Brighton Reuters 12/16 First gay marriages Camden mayor Jonathan Simpson speaks during the ceremony, which took place just after midnight on Saturday AP 13/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai looks on as his new husband Sinclair Treadway signs official documents AP 14/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sinclair Treadway hold hands as they celebrate their marriage AP 15/16 First gay marriages Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sinclair Treadway toast married life AP 16/16 First gay marriages Sealed with a kiss: Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sinclair Treadway make it official AP

Based on the responses of 1,000 likely 2016 voters, the poll found that more than half (55 per cent) of people supported gay marriage.

18-29 year-olds were most likely to vote in favour of equal marriage, with 75 per cent signalling their support. Backing decreased directly with age, with 40 per cent of people aged 65 plus saying they felt favourably towards gay marriage.

And around a third (33 per cent) of Republicans said they supported same-sex marriage.

The study also found that people’s overall attitudes towards homosexual people has changed in recent years.

In 2011, 40 per cent of people said they felt favourably towards gays and lesbians, compared to 55 per cent in 2014.

33 per cent of respondents who said they had become more accepting in recent years said that knowing someone who was gay had impacted upon their attitudes.

Gay marriage is currently legalised in 17 US states, as well as the District of Colombia.

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Nearly 8 in 10 people said they believed that if gay marriage was made legal nationwide, there would be less discrimination, it would be easier to grow up gay, and same-sex families would have more protection.

The first same-sex marriages took place in the UK on Saturday.

Prime Minister David Cameron hailed the change in the law.

“For the first time, the couples getting married won't just include men and women - but men and men, and women and women,” he said.

“When people's love is divided by law, it is the law that needs to change.”