We have investigated experimentally and theoretically the change in the polarization state of polarized laser light scattered near a 2P3/2~2Sl/2 atomic resonance as function of the laser frequency. For a collision free Na vapor at number densities < 101~ 3 it is found experimentally, that the polarization degree changes from a small level at frequencies between hyperfine components of the 3 2P3/2*--,3 2S~/2 transition towards high values at separations large compared to the hyperfine splitting. By comparison with scattering theory it is shown, that this change is typical for the transition from resonant to nonresonant scattering in the presence of atomic hyperfine interaction.