SUMMARY: With same-sex marriage being assailed by conservatives in Washington and Episcopals meeting in Dallas, a new poll shows that half of America supports gay marriage.

With same-sex marriage being assailed by conservatives in Washington and Episcopals meeting in Dallas, a new USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll shows that half of America supports gay marriage.

The poll shows that 50 percent of those surveyed said allowing gay marriage would either improve society or have no effect. Forty-eight percent of the respondents said allowing gay unions "will change our society for the worse." The poll, conducted Sept. 19-21, surveyed 1,003 adults and has a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.

Researchers noticed several trends. They believe the younger the respondent, the stronger the support for same-sex marriage. Sixty-seven percent of those between 18 and 29 years of age support gay and lesbian marriage. That percentage drops to 53 percent for respondents aged 30-49.

Researchers also believe those who are against gay marriage are more likely to attend religious services. For those who said they attended church weekly, 67 percent of them responded, "Allowing two people of the same sex to legally marry will change our society for the worse." That percentage was down to 51 percent for those who attended services at least once a month.

This survey comes as conservatives try to push traditional notions about marriage. In a proclamation signed Friday, President Bush (news - web sites) declared Oct. 12-18 "Marriage Protection Week" in an effort to define marriage as "a union between a man and a woman." On Tuesday, conservative Episcopalians started a meeting in Dallas to repudiate their denomination's blessing of same-sex unions and the confirmation of an openly gay bishop.