SACRAMENTO, July 18 (UPI)

Fifty-one percent of California voters oppose an initiative to reverse a state Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage, a poll released Friday indicated.

The Field Poll surveyed 672 likely voters, the Los Angeles Times reported. Among respondents, 42 percent said they support Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

In 2000, Proposition 22, a similar referendum, got 62 percent of the vote. Mark DiCamillo, the Field Poll director, said attitudes among California voters have shifted considerably in the past eight years.

Jennifer Kerns, a spokeswoman for the Protect Marriage Campaign, said the poll shows that proponents of same-sex marriage are losing ground. In May, a poll found 54 percent support for gay marriage.

However, DiCamillo said the two polls are not comparable. The one released Friday targeted likely voters and also was based on the specific language of the proposition that will appear on the November ballot.

The poll was conducted by telephone July 8-14. The margin of error is 3.9 percent.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.