Abortion
Plenty of Common Ground Found in Abortion Debate
"Pro-choice" and "pro-life" Americans agree on 9 of 17 policies tested
August 8, 2011
"Pro-choice" and "pro-life" Americans tend to back abortions needed to protect women's vital health and to support certain notification policies, and oppose late-term abortions. The two groups disagree most sharply about abortions in the first trimester, for financial reasons, and when the baby would be born impaired.
Common State Abortion Restrictions Spark Mixed Reviews
Most Americans favor abortion consent laws; oppose clinic funding bans, late-term abortions
July 25, 2011
Large majorities of Americans favor the broad intent of several types of abortion restriction laws that are now common in many states, but have mixed or negative reactions to others. The majority of Republicans are in favor of all seven restrictions tested.
Republicans More Unified Than Democrats on Abortion
Pro-choice view among Democrats largely linked to education and income
June 6, 2011
Roughly two-thirds of Republicans across most major gender, age, educational, and income lines describe themselves as "pro-life," while about a quarter call themselves "pro-choice." By contrast, Democrats' support for the "pro-choice" label rises sharply with education and income.
Doctor-Assisted Suicide Is Moral Issue Dividing Americans Most
Pornography, gay relations produce biggest generational gaps
May 31, 2011
Doctor-assisted suicide is the most controversial of 17 cultural issues Gallup tested this year, with Americans divided 45% vs. 48% over its moral acceptability. Many also disagree about whether abortion and out-of-wedlock births are morally right or wrong. More than 9 in 10 say extramarital affairs are wrong.
Americans Still Split Along "Pro-Choice," "Pro-Life" Lines
Majorities believe abortion is morally wrong, legal access to it should be restricted
May 23, 2011
Americans are closely divided in their abortion positions, with 49% calling themselves "pro-choice" and 45% "pro-life," similar to a year ago. Public support for making abortion legal in either all cases or no cases is much lower, at 27% and 22%, respectively, while 50% favor something in between.
Four Moral Issues Sharply Divide Americans
Partisan disagreement drives national controversy on gay relations, abortion
May 26, 2010
Americans hold similar moral judgments on 12 of 16 cultural matters that sometimes fuel debate in the country. By contrast, doctor-assisted suicide is highly controversial, as are gay relations, abortion, and having children out of wedlock.
The New Normal on Abortion: Americans More "Pro-Life"
For second year straight, "pro-life" and "pro-choice" closely matched
May 14, 2010
The percentage of Americans now calling themselves "pro-life" remains at least comparable to the percentage calling themselves "pro-choice," if not higher, as has been the case since 2009. This contrasts with the pattern from 1995 through 2008 when more Americans typically embraced the "pro-choice" label.
Education Trumps Gender in Predicting Support for Abortion
College-educated adults -- and especially college-educated women -- most supportive
April 28, 2010
Educational achievement is much more important than gender in determining support for broadly legal abortion, with college-educated adults -- and especially college-educated women -- the most supportive.
Generational Differences on Abortion Narrow
Support for making abortion broadly illegal growing fastest among young adults
March 12, 2010
Differences in the way Americans of different age groups view abortion rights have diminished over the past decade. In recent years, support for broadly legal abortion has been quite similar -- albeit shrinking -- among the three age groups younger than 65. Only seniors are significantly less supportive.
Republicans', Dems' Abortion Views Grow More Polarized
Republicans have grown more conservative on abortion since 1975; Democrats, more liberal
March 8, 2010
With abortion policy emerging as a potential stumbling block for final passage of a healthcare reform bill in Congress, Gallup reviews long-term trends in Americans' views on the legality of abortion. Republicans and Democrats began to diverge in their views in 1990 and have since grown more polarized.
Related Items
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U.S. Abortion Attitudes Closely Divided
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March 30, 2009
Will the Abortion Issue Help or Hurt McCain?
September 3, 2008
Abortion Issue Laying Low in 2008 Campaign
May 22, 2008
