LOS ANGELES - MAY 18: Demonstrators hold sign reading, "homosexual marriage is an act of terrorism" as they chant slogans against same-sex marriages at an anti-gay rally on May 18, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriages yesterday prompting fears among the mostly-religious gathering that California might do the same. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

A new poll has shown a surprising proportion of religious Americans support the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

The poll by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), shows that a majority of people from many denominations support same-sex marriage, compared with those opposed.

The PPRI survey published in recent days found that Jewish people in America supported same-sex marriage by 73 to 21 percent.

White mainline Protestants and white Catholics approved of same-sex marriage by 63 to 28 percent.

And among Muslims, 44 percent said they supported the right of same-sex couples to marry, compared to 41 percent opposed.

One group that was evenly split was black Protestants, of which 45 to 45 percent supported or opposed same-sex marriage.

Mormons, Hispanic Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses and evangelical Protestants were the only groups to oppose same-sex marriage on the whole.

46 percent of Hispanic Protestants opposed same-sex marriage compared to 41 percent who supported it.

More than half of Mormons, 55 percent, opposed same-sex marital unions compared to 37 percent who supported them.

61 percent of evangelical Protestants opposed the right of same-sex couples to marry compared to 31 percent in favour, and 53 percent of Jehovah’s Witnesses opposed, compared to 25 percent in favour.

Overall, and leading up to the Supreme Court ruling which legalised same-sex marriage in all 50 states, many polls showed that a majority of Americans on the whole supported the right of same-sex couples to marry.