A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center shows 61 percent of young Republicans support same-sex marriage, USA TODAY reported.
The new numbers demonstrate a clear generational gap, with a majority of Republicans under the age of 30 approving of gay marriage, compared to the 27 percent of Republicans over 50 that support it.
The young Republican stance on gay marriage is similar to the views of the Democratic Party, with 69 percent of Democrats and independents leaning toward the party supporting it. Meanwhile, only 39 percent of Republicans and those leaning towards the GOP approve of gay marriage.
In total, seventeen states and the District of Columbia have legalized gay marriage and support for it continues to soar in polls. Most recently, a Pew poll showed 54 percent of Americans approve of it.
Though Pew's poll was published recently, the young Republican support for same-sex marriage has made headlines before. In 2012, a GQ article featuring a member of Fordham College Republicans in New York said most GOPers support it or see it as inevitable.
"It is something that isn't openly discussed, but I would say we generally are either in favor of it, or we see it as an inevitability. Many of us either are gay or have gay friends, and as young Republicans we don't discuss it very often. There are so many other important issues, and our time would be better spent focusing on jobs and the economy," said Samuel Martin, president of the Fordham College Republicans.
