(10/17/11) -

Americans Split on Whether Abortion Debate Should Be Reconsidered

Democrats and Independents tend to side with the status quo, while Republicans voice support for greater restrictions.

Adults in the United States are divided on whether the country should undertake a new discussion on abortion, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,005 Americans, 42 per cent of respondents believe there is no point in re-opening a debate about abortion in the U.S. right now, while 37 per cent think a debate about abortion is long overdue in the U.S., and the discussion should be re-opened.

Personal Feeling

Americans hold a wide range of feelings on abortion, with one-in-five respondents (21%) saying that the procedure should be permitted in all cases.

However, a sizeable proportion of Americans (27%) would only allow abortion in cases such as rape, incest and to save the woman’s life, while 13 per cent would consent to the procedure only if it is performed to save the woman’s life.

In addition, eight per cent of respondents would subject abortion to greater restrictions, while 18 per cent believe the same restrictions that are currently in place are sufficient.

Legality

Half of Americans (49%) believe abortion should be legal under certain circumstances, while three-in-ten (29%) would only allow it under certain circumstances, and 14 per cent would make the procedure illegal. Women (32%) are more likely than men (25%) to call for legal abortion under any circumstances.

Information and Consent

Three-in-five Americans (74%) think women under the age of 18 should have the consent of their parents or legal guardians in order to have an abortion, and more than half (55%) say that pregnant women in the United States have access to enough information about alternatives to abortion, such as adoption or counseling.

Analysis

Republicans and Democrats are at odds on this issue, with almost half of respondents from each political stripe advocating for a different course of action. Many Republicans want to re-open the abortion debate, and are more likely to call for changes and allow the procedure only in cases of rape, incest and danger to the mother. Democrats tend to side more with the argument of either permitting abortion in all cases—or keeping the status quo—and believe the time is not right for a debate on abortion.

Independents are closer to the views of Democrats in the questions of personal feeling and parental consent, but are not as certain about the idea of re-opening the abortion debate at this time.

Our previous polls on abortion in the United States can be accessed here: January 2010 / July 2010

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

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

Methodology: From September 30 to October 2, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,005 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.Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.