The clear result to the ‘no’ camp emerged in a survey conducted online this week of more than 8,000 readers.

In the same poll 34% of respondents said they would not be voting at all.

The results counter a recent broader Ipsos Mori poll that found 70% of respondents were in favour of gay marriage.

However, results of a general community poll on the Daily Telegraph’s Facebook page, see-sawed back and forth between the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ camps - but as of last night 61% of respondents were in favour of gay marriage. The Facebook poll attracted over 30,000 votes and 1.3k comments.

The range of comments reflected deep division over same-sex marriage.

Debbie Lang wrote that she was not against same sex-marriage “but I am against changing a law without knowing the full consequences of that change’’.

Mary Kennedy suggested that “perhaps we should ban divorce so that all children can have two parents, no matter what.’’

Michael Gibbons said he was gay and that “if the tables were turned, we would allow straight couples to marry’’.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday defended a church for cancelling a young couple’s wedding after the bride-to-be voiced her support for same-sex marriage on Facebook.

“Churches are entitled to marry or not marry whom they please,’’ he said.

“That is part of religious freedom.

“There are many churches, including my own church, the Catholic Church, who will not marry someone who has been married before.’’

A Presbyterian church in Ballarat has cancelled the November wedding of a young couple after the bride-to-be posted a comment on Facebook stating that same-sex marriage did not affect her relationship “one bit’’.

The church minister reportedly told the couple he could no longer marry them because “your commitment to same-sex marriage opposes the teaching of Christ Jesus’’.

Mr Turnbull yesterday said any law to allow same-sex marriage would also protect the right of religious groups to refuse to marry gay couples.

“I just want to reassure Australians that as strongly as I believe in the right of same-sex couples to marry … even more strongly do I believe in religious freedom,’’ he said.

“Religious freedom is fundamental and it will be protected in any bill that emerges from this Parliament.’’

Mr Turnbull is waiting for the results of the $122 million postal survey before deciding whether to support a private member’s bill to legalise same-sex marriage.

He said letting gay couples marry would not undermine the institution of marriage.

“The threat to marriage is a lack of commitment … neglect, desertion, adultery and so forth,’’ he said.

Mr Turnbull said he and his wife Lucy supported same-sex marriage “because it is fair, but also because it shows commitment and more commitment is good’’.