SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A new poll shows that a record 61 percent of Californians now approve of allowing same-sex couples to marry.

The Field Poll found 78 percent support among people 39 and younger and 56 percent of middle-aged residents now back gay marriage. Even among senior citizens there is 48 percent support.

The overall results represent a reversal in views in the 36 years the Field Poll has been taking surveys on gay marriage. When the first survey was conducted in 1977, only 28 percent approved of gay marriage, while 59 percent were opposed.

The most recent survey found broad-based support, with the majority of most subgroups within the survey saying they favor gay marriage — men and women, all racial and ethnic groups, and each major region of the state.