Gays more popular than evangelicals: Poll

Gays are more popular than evangelicals, according to a poll commissioned by an American LGBT rights group.

Fifty-three percent of U.S. voters polled in the survey -- created by the Human Rights Campaign and Americans for Marriage Equality -- are in favor of gays and lesbians, compared to 42 percent toward evangelicals.

The "Victory in Sight" study, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and TargetPoint Consulting, polled 1,000 people likely to vote in 2016, and found that more than half of them (55 percent) supported same-sex marriage and had a positive attitude toward homosexuality.

Among the more "modern" crowd of 18-29 year olds, 75 percent voted in favor of gay marriage, while 40 percent of the more "traditional" over-65 crowd voted unfavorably toward the idea.

People's acceptance of the LGBT community continues to grow. In 2011, 40 percent perceived gays positively - a number that has since risen to 55 percent.

Same-sex marriage is legal in 17 U.S. states and in the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom celebrated its first same-sex marriages Saturday.

"For the first time, the couples getting married won't just include men and women - but men and men, and women and women," Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement.

The modern notion of gay and lesbian couples still remains a hot button topic, and one that not all people have warmed to. Recently, the evangelical relief group World Vision announced that it would allow gay and lesbian employees. However, within 48 hours, the Christian group retracted its statement, saying they had made a mistake.

But the recent poll shows that nearly eight in 10 people believe that if gay marriage were legalized nationwide, there would be a less anti-gay outlook. Discrimination would lessen, it would be easier to grow up gay and same-sex families would have more protection, the report said.

"When people's love is divided by law, it is the law that needs to change," Cameron insisted.