A majority of California voters oppose putting the issue of gay marriage back on the ballot for another referendum.

According to a just-released survey by the new polling team of The Times and the University of Southern California, a small majority of Californians favor the right of gay couples to marry.

But a far larger proportion of the 1,500 registered voters in the new poll oppose putting the issue back on another statewide ballot next year. This week became the 31st state where voters, in effect, defeated the idea of gay marriage in a statewide vote.

Not surprisingly, same-sex marriage views were sharply polarized by political party; 66% of Democrats thought it should be legal while 71% of Republicans opposed it. Nonpartisan voters were less enthusiastic than Democrats but still backed it, 59%-34%.

Overall, the smallest majority of 51% of California voters favored marriage rights for same-sex couples while 43% opposed them, according to the survey, which has a margin of error of +/-2.6%.

However, a surprisingly large almost 60% of Californians were certain