Economic conservatism has hit a five year low, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.

And, the survey suggests, "ideological attitudes in the country may be shifting."

The poll found that social liberalism is up six points since 2001 and is embraced by about half the Democrats and those who lean Democrats.

"It is possible that Americans are returning to a certain sense of normalcy on economic ideology, while social ideology continues to charter new ground," said a poll analysis.

Here's more from Gallup:

Just three Democratic senators have not expressed support for gay marriage, and the White House -- which got the momentum started a year ago when vice president Joe Biden, and then President Obama, signaled support -- said it won't be pressuring them.

"Obviously, each individual -- whether an elected lawmaker or anyone else -- makes this evaluation, decision, himself or herself," press secretary Jay Carney said, adding that Obama "was not and is not in a position to pass judgment on others simply to say what he believes very strongly."

Asked whether Obama deserved credit for the sea change of support, Carney said it's the country: "It's been a remarkable evolution and represents an embrace of the basic principles of equality that the president feels strongly about but Americans across the country feel strongly about."

Democratic senators Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Mark Pryor of Arkansas have not endorsed gay marriage. But as a sign of how fast the ground is changing on the issue: when Carney was asked about gay marriage at the 1 p.m. press briefing, there were four senators. Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota later announced his support, saying "after lengthy consideration, my views have evolved sufficiently to support marriage equality legislation.

"This position doesn't require any religious denomination to alter any of its tenets; it simply forbids government from discrimination regarding who can marry whom," Johnson said.

Now there are two Senate Republicans backing same-sex marriage.

Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., Tuesday announced his support. The center-right Republican recalled returing to the Senate in January after suffering a stroke, and how it impacted his decision.

"When I climbed the Capitol steps in January, I promised myself that I would return to the Senate with an open mind and greater respect for others," Kirk said in a statement.

"Same sex couples should have the right to civil marriage," he said. "Our time on this Earth is limited. I know that better than most. Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back--government has no place in the middle."

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, is the only other Republican senator to back same-sex marriage.

Senate Democrats seem to be embracing gay marriage daily; Tuesday, Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., joined the chorus.

He's the eighth Senate Democrat in the past week to back gay marriage.

Here's his explanation from his Facebook page:

"As our society has changed and evolved, so too has the public's opinion on gay marriage – and so has mine. I pray every day for God to grant me the wisdom to do what is right. Through my prayers and conversations with my family and countless friends and Delawareans, I've been reminded of the power of one of my core values: the Golden Rule.

"It calls on us to treat others as we want to be treated. That means, to me, that all Americans ultimately should be free to marry the people they love and intend to share their lives with, regardless of their sexual orientation, and that's why today, after a great deal of soul searching, I'm endorsing marriage equality."

President Obama said Wednesday that he would not predict how the Supreme Court would rule on the issue of same sex marriage but that he hopes that couples are treated fairly and equally.

"I used to teach constitutional law and I think that there’s certainly a strong basis for determining that in fact in this age, given what we now know, given the changes that have been taking place in states around the country, that you know, same sex couples should be treated fairly and have the same rights to benefits and to being able to transfer property," Obama said in an interview with Univision taped at the White House. "All the rights and recognition that I think heterosexual couples do."

Obama last year became the first sitting U.S. president to endorse same-sex marriage. He opposes the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act, which bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage even for couples married under state law. He says the 1996 law that defines marriage as between only one man and one woman is unconstitutional and directed the Justice Department to stop defending the law in court.

"I have wrestled with this issue and thought long and hard about this issue last year," he said. "I’ve announced that it was my conclusion that allowing same sex couples to marry was the right thing to do. It was consistent with America’s tradition of treating everybody equally...Obviously, public opinion has shifted dramatically just over the last several years. And my hope is, is that we will come to the place where everybody, you know, is treated fairly, and treated the same."

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has supported same-sex marriage for years, and after Wednesday's Supreme Court hearing, reflected on what it was like to back the idea.

"So over the years, one of the questions that I would get asked, especially when I became...part of the leadership, when I first became whip and then after that -- one of the first questions, shall we say, less-than-friendly journalists would ask me on a show or so would be:  Do you support gay marriage?" she recalled.

"And of course I would always say, I support gay marriage; I don't believe in discrimination of any kind."

So, Pelosi told a Capitol news conference, "That'd be like:  We have labeled you.  Now that our audience knows that about you -- you know.  As if it were -- and it was a badge of honor for me.  So now -- it's a badge of honor for a lot of people, but for a long time it was something that we knew was inevitable."

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, a leading conservative voice in the Senate, said Friday he now believes government should not stand in the way of allowing same sex couples to marry.

"I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn’t deny them the opportunity to get married," he wrote in a commentary in the Columbus Dispatch.

Portman concedes "That isn’t how I’ve always felt. As a congressman, and more recently as a senator, I opposed marriage for same-sex couples. Then something happened that led me to think through my position in a much deeper way."

He recounts how two years ago, his son Will, then a college student, told his parents he was gay.

"He said he’d known for some time, and that his sexual orientation wasn’t something he chose; it was simply a part of who he is. Jane and I were proud of him for his honesty and courage," the senator wrote. "We were surprised to learn he is gay but knew he was still the same person he’d always been. The only difference was that now we had a more complete picture of the son we love."

Portman, who was said to be a serious contender for the 2012 Republican vice presidential nomination, went on to describe his feelings and views:

A Pew Research Center poll this week shows that predictions of President Barack Obama losing African-Americans over his support for same-sex marriage may be exaggerated.

The Pew poll shows that Obama's position had no effect 68 percent of blacks, while 16 percent said it made them view him more favorably. Only 13 percent said they viewed him less favorably. While many black voters may disagree with the president on gay marriage, it's not necessarily a deal-breaker.

The Pew survey also found a similar result with independents: 60 percent said Obama's position didn't matter, while an equal number _ 19 percent _ said it was either a plus or a minus.

Only among Republicans (53 percent) and people over 65 (42 percent) did Obama's position on gay marriage really hurt him _ but those aren't groups he's counting on to win re-election anyway.

It may come as little surprise that 62 percent of those 18-29 said Obama's support for gay marriage made no difference for them, but 56 percent of those with less than a college education said the same thing.

Overall, more than half of Americans (52 percent) said Obama's position on gay marriage made no difference to them, while 25 percent said they felt less favorably toward the president and 19 percent more favorably.

Roughly half of Americans -- 52 percent -- say Barack Obama's support for gay marriage doesn't affect their opinion of him. A quarter -- 25 percent -- say they feel less favorable, 19 percent feel more favorable, according to the weekly survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted May 10-13 among 1,003 adults.

About half of Republicans -- 53 percent -- say they feel less favorably toward Obama; by contrast, 60 percent of independents and 52 percent of Democrats say their view of Obama has not changed. Among independents, as many say they feel less favorably as more favorably toward Obama as a result of his gay marriage decision -- 19 percent each.

Obama’s expression of support for gay marriage comes at a time when the public's support for allowing gays and lesbians to marry is growing. According to a recent Pew Research survey, 47 percent now say they favor allowing gay marriage while 43 percent oppose it. In 2008, 51 percent opposed allowing gay marriage, while 39 percent favored it.

House Speaker John Boehner doesn't see gay marriage as a big campaign issue.

At his weekly news conference Thursday, the Ohio Republican was asked about the issue's political impact. President Barack Obama Wednesday said he supported gay marriage.

"The president can talk about it all he wants," Boehner said. "I'm going to stay focused on what the American people want us to stay focused on, and that's jobs."

Boehner said he believes marriage is "the union of one man and one woman."