A majority of Americans believe New York's gay marriage law is a positive development.

According to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll published Friday, 50 percent of Americans approve of the law, which went into effect last Sunday, while 46 percent disapprove.

Age, religion and political affiliation factored in how people reacted to New York becoming the sixth state to adopt marriage equality.

Adults under 30 cheered the new law by roughly a 2 to 1 margin, but a majority (60%) of seniors jeered it.

Pollsters separated Democrats into 2 groups; liberal and moderate/conservative. A large majority of liberal Democrats (74%) and a majority (54%) of moderate/conservative Democrats approve of the law. When combined, a majority (56%) of Democrats favor the law. (The question then is which group is larger.)

A large majority (71%) of conservative Republicans, ostensibly defined by the paper as those who align themselves with the tea party movement, objected to the law. Half of non-tea party Republicans, however, say the law is a positive development.

The survey also found a majority (59%) of Catholics support the law.

(Related: Gay marriage support picks up steam.)