(07/20/10) -

A Third of Americans Are Willing to Re-Open Abortion Debate

Two thirds of respondents support limiting or regulating abortions, while one fifth think abortion should be legal in all cases.

Two thirds of respondents support limiting or regulating abortions, while one fifth think abortion should be legal in all cases.

Although most people in the United States think there is no need to re-open a national discussion on abortion, a large proportion of Americans do want to have this conversation, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,002 American adults, 33 per cent of respondents say a debate about abortion is long overdue in the U.S. and it is time to talk about this issue. However, 51 per cent of respondents disagree.

Personal Feeling

Americans remain divided on how to best regulate abortions. While one fifth of respondents say the procedure should be permitted in all cases, 18 per cent say it should be allowed but under the current restrictions.

An additional 26 per cent of Americans think abortion should only be permitted in cases of rape, incest, and to save a woman’s life; 15 per cent think abortions should only happen when the woman’s life is in danger; and nine per cent of respondents say they should be subject to greater restrictions than they are now.

Legality

Almost half of Americans (46%) think abortion should be legal but only under certain circumstances. In contrast, three-in-ten respondents say abortion should always be legal. Fifteen per cent of Americans would completely ban abortions, in all circumstances.

One-in-five Republicans (22%) advocate for an outright ban on abortion.

Information and Consent

Three quarters of U.S. respondents (75%) think women under the age of 18 should require parental consent before having an abortion. Only 16 per cent disagree with this notion.

About a third of respondents (32%) think pregnant women currently lack appropriate access to information on alternatives to abortion, such as counseling and adoptions. A majority of Americans (54%) think the opposite—than women have plenty of access to this kind of information.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From July 8 to July 9, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,002 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States.