Nearly three in five Americans want same-sex marriage to be legal across the nation, NBC News reported based on a new poll the network conducted along with the Wall Street Journal.

The survey asked participants if they were in favor of the Supreme Court eliminating state bans on the unions, an issue that is currently pending before the nation's highest court. Fifty-eight percent of Americans support such a move, while 37 percent said they were opposed.

There has been an abrupt shift in public opinion, which now strongly supports same-sex marriage, the Wall Street Journal noted. The newest poll set an all-time high that nearly doubled the 30 percent of Americans who supported marriage equality in 2004, the newspaper detailed.

Nevertheless, conservatives and liberals remain sharply divided on the issue, NBC News said. Some 78 percent of Democrats want the Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage, while 62 percent of Republicans oppose it.

Independents -- who make up a critical swing vote in national elections -- largely spoke out in favor of gay unions: 66 percent of them favor the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage, while 28 percent are against it.

Hispanics, meanwhile, as a group are among the strongest supporters of nationwide same-sex marriage: 71percent of Latinos surveyed said they favored the unions. LGBT rights advocates can further count on strong backing from young voters (73 percent in favor) and people with a postgraduate education (69 percent).

The opposition is strongest among conservatives (68 percent oppose) and seniors (55 percent oppose), NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found.

Same-sex marriage is currently legal in 37 states and the District of Columbia. The Supreme Court heard arguments last week on whether to overturn marriage bans, and its nine justices are expected to rule on the issue by the end of June.

In 2013, the tribunal overturned the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act," a law banning federal recognition of gay marriage.

The survey was conducted between April 26 and April 30, when NBC News and the Wall Street Journal contracted Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies to poll 1,000 American adults; it has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.