Nearly 50 percent of Americans believe those with religious objections should be exempted from issuing gay marriage licenses despite last months historic Supreme Court ruling

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People in the U.S. are evenly divided over the Supreme Court case that made same-sex marriage legal nationwide, according to poll
Just under half said officials with religious objections should not have to issue licenses, while 47 per cent said they should
Findings also showed altogether, 39 per cent approved of the high court's decision and 41 per cent disapproved
Poll respondents were divided over allowing same-sex marriage in their own state, with 42 per cent in favor and 40 per cent opposed
Divisions exist over how law should handle those who have religious objections to same-sex marriage, according to poll

Published: 02:39 EST, 20 July 2015 | Updated: 11:41 EST, 20 July 2015

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People in the United States are evenly divided over the Supreme Court case that made same-sex marriage legal nationwide, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll.

Many think local officials with religious objections to marrying gay and lesbian couples should be exempt from issuing licenses.

Altogether, 39 per cent approved of the high court's decision and 41 per cent disapproved. An additional 18 per cent neither approved nor disapproved.

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People in the United States are evenly divided over the Supreme Court case that made same-sex marriage legal nationwide, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll (above a crowd celebrates outside of the Supreme Court in Washington after court declared same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the U.S.)

Altogether, 39 per cent approved of the high court's decision and 41 per cent disapproved. An additional 18 per cent neither approved nor disapproved (gay rights advocates are shown above as the celebrate the ruling on June 26)

Among findings, 59 per cent of the poll respondents said wedding-related businesses with religious objections should be allowed to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples - that compares with 52 per cent in April (Chauncey Killens, left, discusses marriage as Carmen Guzman, right, celebrates outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC last month)

'What the Supreme Court did is jeopardize our religious freedoms,' said Michael Boehm, 61, an industrial controls engineer from the Detroit area who describes himself as a conservative-leaning independent.

'You're going to see a conflict between civil law and people who want to live their lives according to their faiths,' Boehm said.

Boehm was among 59 per cent of the poll respondents who said wedding-related businesses with religious objections should be allowed to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples. That compares with 52 per cent in April.

By comparison, 46 per cent said businesses in general should be allowed to refuse service because of their religious principles, while 51 per cent said that should not be allowed.

Claudette Girouard, 69, a retiree from Chesterfield Township, Michigan, said she is a moderate independent voter who has gradually become supportive of letting same-sex couples marry.

'I don't see what the big hoopla is,' she said, adding: 'If they're happy, why not?'

Supreme Court rules in favor of marriage equaliy

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage on June 26 in a 5-4 decision, and within hours couples across the country were being issued marriage licenses

Poll respondents were divided over allowing same-sex marriage in their own state, with 42 per cent in favor and 40 per cent opposed (above Barbara DiBernard, left, hugs Judith Gibson after the two received the first same-sex marriage license issued in Lancaster County, Nebraska)

The poll found no surge in support for same-sex marriage since the court's ruling June 26 (above supporters of traditional marriage between a man and a woman are pictured rallying at the Supreme Court last month)

Poll respondents were divided over allowing same-sex marriage in their own state, with 42 per cent in favor and 40 per cent opposed.

The poll found no surge in support for same-sex marriage since the court's ruling June 26. If anything, support was down slightly since April, when 48 per cent said they were in favor in another AP-GfK survey. An earlier poll, conducted in January and February, found 44 per cent in support of same-sex marriage.

As marriage rights for gay couples become settled law, divisions exist over how the law should handle those who have religious objections to same-sex marriage.

When the two are in conflict, 56 per cent of those questioned said it's more important for the government to protect religious liberties, while 39 percent said it's more important to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.

The poll also found a near-even split over whether local officials with religious objections should be required to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, with 47 per cent saying that should be the case and 49 per cent say they should be exempt.

Self-described members of Protestant denominations were more likely to oppose than favor same-sex marriage, 52 per cent to 32 per cent.

Catholics were more likely to be in favor than opposed, 48-32. Seven in 10 evangelical Christians opposed allowing same-sex couples to marry legally. On the other hand, 56 per cent of those who do not belong to any religious denomination said they were in favor.

Also, 60 per cent of Protestants, 48 per cent of Catholics and 76 per cent of evangelicals said local officials should not have to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Just 37 percent of those with no religious affiliation agreed.

As marriage rights for gay couples become settled law, divisions exist over how the law should handle those who have religious objections to same-sex marriage (President Barack Obama pictured on the day of the ruling during a speech in the White House Rose Garden)

Obama: same-sex marriage decision is 'a victory for America'

Among findings also included 56 per cent of those questioned said it's more important for the government to protect religious liberties, while 39 percent said it's more important to protect the rights of gays and lesbians (above crowds celebrate after learning of the ruling - a victory for gay rights)

Findings also showed that 46 per cent said businesses in general should be allowed to refuse service because of their religious principles, while 51 per cent said that should not be allowed

Girouard said local officials should be required to perform same-sex marriages, but does not think that wedding-related businesses should be forced to serve same-sex couples.

'If the official doesn't like what he's being asked to do, then quit,' she said. 'But businesses are kind of independent, so if they have a strong belief against it, there are enough other businesses out there for someone to use.'

The survey found a vast gulf between Democrats and Republicans.

For example, 65 per cent of Democrats but only 22 per cent Republicans favored allowing same-sex couples to legally marry in their state.

Most Democrats said it was more important for the government to protect gay rights, 64 per cent to 32 per cent. Most Republicans said it was more important to protect religious liberties than gay rights, 82-17.

And 7 in 10 Republicans, but just 3 in 10 Democrats, said local officials with religious objections should be exempt from issuing marriage licenses.

Clarence Wells, 60, a conservative from Rockwood, Tennessee, said he strongly disapproved of the Supreme Court's ruling. He anticipates friction as gay couples try to exercise their newfound rights and people with religious objections to same-sex marriage balk at accepting them.

'I don't believe it's going to go over smoothly,' said Wells. 'I think a lot of them will be shunned in church... I think there will businesses that are going to close, because some people are stubborn enough to not want to deal with it.'

White House boasts gay pride after landmark ruling

Both sides on same sex marriage gather at the Love Wins Rally at the Casey County Courthouse in Liberty, Kentucky on July 18, 2015. It is the same spot where more than 1,000 gathered two weeks earlier in support of Casey Davis, a county clerk who is one of three in the state who refused to issue any marriage licenses since the Supreme Court ruling, saying same-sex marriage goes against their deeply-held religious convictions

Just under half of poll respondents said officials with religious objections to marrying gay and lesbian couples should not have to issue marriage licenses, with about the same proportion saying they should

Andrew Chan, 41, a moderate independent from Seattle, said he has tried to remain neutral on same-sex marriage.

'For me, it's always been about tolerating,' said Chan, who works for a nonprofit organization. 'I've got friends on both sides.'

Chan said he was happy for gays and lesbians who have found someone they want to marry, and he expressed some wariness toward politicians who might try to roll back the Supreme Court ruling.

'That just creates more division,' he said. 'Are we looking to move the country forward or move it backward?'

The AP-GfK Poll of 1,004 adults was conducted online from July 9 to July 13, using a sample drawn from GfK's probability-based KnowledgePanel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population.

The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. Respondents were first selected randomly using telephone or mail survey methods, and later interviewed online.

People selected for KnowledgePanel who didn't otherwise have access to the Internet were provided access at no cost to them.