Voters support plans to introduce gay marriage by a margin of two to one, according to a new poll.
Some 62% of those questioned by pollsters ICM Research for The Guardian said that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, against 31% who oppose the change and 7% who did not know.
And the poll showed a majority of Conservative supporters in favour of the change, which has been championed by Prime Minister David Cameron in the teeth of significant opposition from Tory backbenchers.
Some 52% of those who voted Tory in 2010 backed gay marriage, against 42% who opposed it. Supporters of Labour and the Liberal Democrat were more likely to approve of equal marriage rights.
Thursday's poll shows stronger support for the reform than previous surveys, including an ICM Research poll in March which found 45% in favour and 36% opposed.
The coalition Government is committed to legislating on gay marriage by the 2015 general election and a Bill is expected to be tabled next month. Mr Cameron has promised his MPs a free vote on the issue.
The proposal has sparked stiff opposition among the churches, with the head of Roman Catholics in England and Wales, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, using his Christmas Day message to denounce the plans as "Orwellian" and "shambolic".
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