NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A new poll has found that a majority of New Jerseyans favor civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, but they remain divided — mostly by age — on whether same-sex marriage should be legalized.

A Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll found that 52 percent of respondents support civil unions while 40 percent are opposed, and about 60 percent said same-sex couples should be entitled to health insurance and Social Security benefits through their partners.

Meanwhile, 50 percent said same-sex marriage should not be legalized while 43 percent approved, and 53 percent said the state should recognize a same-sex marriage if it were performed in another state and the couple moved here.

“When it comes to the legal status of homosexual partnerships, New Jerseyans tend to be more progressive than the nation as a whole, particularly with regard to the idea of civil unions,” said Patrick Murray, the poll’s associate director.

Opinions on these issues were very much age related. Younger adults were the strongest supporters of same-sex marriage and benefits, while the majority of respondents over age 50 favored neither. For example, 64 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 to 29 said same-sex marriage should be legalized, but only 27 percent of those 50 or older agreed. However, 40 percent said they would support civil unions.

New Jersey has become a key state in the debate over same-sex marriage. In June, a national gay rights group filed a lawsuit in state Superior Court on behalf of seven same-sex couples who were denied marriage licenses, and a civil union bill pending in the Legislature would extend benefits to gay, lesbian and unmarried heterosexual couples.