Americans’ Opinions on Abortion

Americans' Opinions on Abortion

January 2018

When asked to align with one side of the abortion debate, a slim majority of Americans describe themselves as pro-choice.

On the issue of abortion, do you consider yourself pro-life or pro-choice?

Americans

Unsure

4% Pro-Life

51% 44%

80%

60%

50%

49%

60% 55%

57%

50%

49% 51%

53% 51%

52% 56%

51%

40% 44% 48% 45% 40% 43% 46% 47% 44% 41% 43% 42% 39% 44% 20%

0%

Pro-Choice

Pro-life

Pro-choice

Democrat Republican Independent

Pro-Life 25% 76% 41%

Pro-Choice 72% 22% 55%

Unsure 4% 2% 4%

More than three in four Americans, including six in ten who identify as pro-choice, want significant restrictions on abortion.

Which comes closest to your opinion on abortion:

1

Available to a woman any time during her entire pregnancy

2 Only during the first six months of a pregnancy

Americans 12% 11%

Pro-Life 2% 3%

Pro-Choice 21% 19%

3 Only during the first three months of a pregnancy

4

Only in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother

5 Only to save the life of the mother

26% 30% 12%

8%

76%

46% 23%

41%

95%

16% 2%

60%

6 Should never be permitted under any circumstance

8%

18%

1%

100%

84% 80%

86%

79%

79%

83%

84%

84%

81%

81%

78%

74%

76%

76%

60%

40% 16%

20%

14%

21%

20%

17%

16%

17%

20%

18%

22%

27%

23%

23%

0% Oct. 2008 May 2009 July 2010 Jan. 2012 Dec. 2012 Jan. 2014 Jan. 2015 Nov. 2015 April 2016 July 2016 Jan. 2017 Dec. 2017 Jan. 2018

Three through Six

One and Two

More than six in ten Republicans, independents, and Democrats want significant restrictions on abortion.

Which comes closest to your opinion on abortion*:

Democrat Republican Independent

Available to a woman any time during her entire pregnancy

21%

Only during the first six months of a pregnancy

Want significant restrictions

Only during the first three

months of a pregnancy

Only in cases of rape, incest

or to save the life of the mother

Only to save the life of the mother

Should never be permitted

under any circumstance

17%

61%

29%

19%

9%

4%

3%

5%

92%

15%

41%

19%

17%

13%

10%

78%

31%

30%

11%

6%

*Which ONE of the following statements comes closest to your opinion on abortion: One, abortion should be available to a woman any time she wants one during her entire pregnancy, Two, abortion should be allowed only during the first six months of a pregnancy, Three, abortion should be allowed only during the first three months of a pregnancy, Four, abortion should be allowed only in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother, Five, abortion should be allowed only to save the life of the mother, Six, abortion should never be permitted under any circumstance?

A majority of Americans see abortion as morally wrong.

Whether Americans think access to abortion should be legal or not, more than half of Americans, 56%, believe abortion is morally wrong.

Regardless of whether or not you think it should be legal, do you believe that, in general, abortion is morally acceptable or morally wrong?

565%6% Morally wrong

3%

41%

Not a moral issue Morally acceptable

70%

63%

60%

58%

62%

60%

60%

57%

59%

56%

50%

40%

30%

35%

37%

36%

38%

37%

41%

39%

41%

20%

10%

0%

May 2012 December 2012 January 2014 January 2015 November 2015 April 2016

January 2017 January 2018

Morally wrong

Morally acceptable

If it is likely a child will have a genetic disorder, more than six in ten Americans see having an abortion as morally wrong.

Nearly half of those who identify as pro-choice (49%), agree that it is morally wrong to abort a child based on the expectation that the baby will be born with a genetic disorder such as Down Syndrome.

Americans

Unsure 8%

Not a moral issue

2%

Morally

acceptable

26%

Morally wrong 64%

Morally acceptable Morally wrong Not a moral issue Unsure

Pro-life

10% 84% 1% 5%

Pro-choice

39% 49% 3% 9%

Prenatal tests in many countries including the United States are able to determine how likely a child is to be born with a genetic disorder such as Down Syndrome. Regardless of whether or not you think it should be legal, do you believe it is morally acceptable or morally wrong to have an abortion because a child is likely to be born with Down Syndrome?

Does having an abortion improve a woman's life in the long run? A majority of Americans say no.

In the long run, do you believe having an abortion improves a woman's life or in the long run do you believe abortion does more harm than good to a woman?

Americans

Does more harm than good

52%

More harm than Improves a

good

woman's life

Pro-Life

85%

6%

Pro-Choice

25%

50%

Democrat

34%

44%

Republican

73%

11%

Independent

50%

30%

Unsure 7% 20%

19% 12% 15%

Unsure

15%

Improves a woman's life

29%

52% of residents say having an abortion is more likely to cause harm to a woman than it is to do her good. This includes one in four who consider themselves pro-choice.

70%

60%

53%

57%

59%

55%

50%

52%

50%

40%

30%

31%

29%

30%

26%

21%

22%

20%

10%

0% July 2009 January 2014

January November January

2015

2015

2017

January 2018

Does more harm than good

Improves a woman's life

Laws can protect both a pregnant woman and the life of her

unborn child according to nearly eight in ten Americans.

Which statement comes closer to your view: One, it is possible to

have laws which protect both the health and well-being of a woman 90%

and the life of the unborn; or two, it is necessary for laws to choose to

protect one and not the other? Unsure

80% 80%

70%

81%

84%

84%

84%

77%

78%

78%

8% Laws can protect

both XX%

15% Laws must chLoaowsse

must choose

XX%

78%

Laws can protect both

XX%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20% 14%

19%

16%

12%

12%

17%

15%

15%

10%

0%

Laws can protect both

Laws must choose

Pro-Life

Pro-Choice Democrat Republican Independent

Laws can protect both

84%

73%

73% 83%

80%

Laws must choose 12%

18%

18% 11%

12%

Unsure

5% 9% 9% 5% 8%

Nearly three in four of those identifying as pro-choice (73%) and identifying as Democrats (73%) believe laws can protect both mother and her unborn child.

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