More Anglicans support gay marriage than oppose it, poll claims

However, just 24 per cent of Anglican men over 55 support same-sex unions

There has been a steady increase in support among Anglicans (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)

More Anglicans in England and Wales are in support of gay marriage than oppose it, a recent poll shows.

The poll, conducted by YouGov, asked 1,500 Anglicans and found that 45 per cent were in favour of gay marriage.

37 per cent of those asked thought gay marriage was wrong, but the poll shows some increase in support of same-sex unions over the last three years.

Three years ago, nearly half of all Anglicans thought same-sex marriage was wrong, with just 38 per cent of Anglicans in support.

The least amount of support for gay marriage came from Anglican men aged over 55, with just 24 per cent backing same sex marriage.

The Anglican Church’s offical stance is that marriage can only take place between a man and a woman.

Jayne Ozanne, a gay evangelical Anglican and a member of General Synod – the Church of England's ruling body – told the BBC that the Church was "out of step with society at large".

She added: "It is deeply worrying that the one group that appears less open to change than any other is Anglican men over the age of 55, who are the least likely to approve of same-sex marriage. Unfortunately, this is exactly the profile of those in the senior positions of power and influence power within the Church."

The survey shows that Anglicans are not as far behind the views from general society, where 56 per cent of all people support gay marriage, and 27 per cent reject it.