A new poll shows a significant increase in support by California voters for gay marriage.

A new Field Poll found that 59% of respondents favored gay marriage while 34% opposed it. Three years ago, the poll found that 52.3% favored same-sex unions while 47.7% opposed them.

"The findings in this survey demonstrate that California voters over time have become more permissive on this issue," the Field Poll said in a statement.

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The findings come weeks after a federal appeals court panel found Proposition 8, California's ban on gay marriage, to be unconstitutional.

The full appeals court is expected to take up the issue.

While gay marriage has been the subject of a three-year legal battle, other states -- including New York -- have allowed the unions.

Over the last few years, some national polls have found more support for gay marriage.

In 2010, a CNN poll found a slim majority of Americans in favor of same-sex marriage -- reportedly the first national poll to reach that conclusion. A year later, a Pew Research Center survey found that 46% of Americans supported gay marriage and 44% opposed it.

The latest Field Poll was conducted Feb. 2-18 and surveyed 1,003 registered voters.

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Photo: Protesters rally outside the San Francisco courthouse in June as the Proposition 8 battle was being waged inside. Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images