(06/26/12) -

Most Americans Back Legal Abortion Under Certain Circumstances

Respondents are divided on their personal feelings about pregnancy termination, and on whether a new national debate is warranted.

Almost half of Americans believe the legality of abortion should depend on specific circumstances, and a vast majority believe that women under the age of 18 should have the consent of their parents or legal guardians in order to terminate a pregnancy, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

The online survey of a representative sample of 1,005 American adults also shows that respondents are divided in their personal feelings about pregnancy termination, and that more than a third would like to re-open the debate about abortion.

Personal Feeling

Across the United States, one third of Americans (32%) express a personal view that abortion should be permitted in all cases, while one-in-six (16%) would permit abortion, but subject to greater restrictions than now. Three-in-ten Americans (30%) believe that abortion should be permitted only in cases such as rape, incest and to save the woman’s life, while 12 per cent would only permit abortion to save the woman’s life.

On the personal feeling question, women are more likely to endorse permitting abortion in all cases than men (35% to 29%), and this view is espoused by two-in-five Democrats (43%). Conversely, Republicans (36%) and respondents over the age of 55 (34%) are more likely to back the notion of only permitting abortion in cases of rape, incest and to save the woman’s life.

Legality

More than a third of Americans (35%) believe abortion should be legal under any circumstances, while practically half (48%) would allow the procedure only under certain circumstances. One-in-ten Americans (10%) think pregnancy termination should be illegal in all circumstances.

Democrats (46%) are more likely to voice support for the legality of abortion under any circumstances than Independents (31%) or Republicans (26%).

Minors

Despite the differences observed in the personal feeling and legality questions, the consensus on minors appears to be clear, with seven-in-ten Americans (72%) believing that women under the age of 18 should have the consent of their parents or legal guardians in order to have an abortion. The lowest level of support for this idea comes from Democrats (61%) and the highest from Republicans (83%).

A New Abortion Debate

Almost half of Americans (47%) believe there is no point in re-opening the debate about abortion in the U.S. right now, while more than one third (36%) think a debate about abortion is long overdue and the discussion should be re-opened. The groups that are most interested in re-visiting the abortion debate are Republicans (44%), men (40%) and respondents over the age of 55 (40%).

Analysis

Americans continue to hold dissimilar personal views on the issue of abortion, and the notion of a new national debate on pregnancy termination continues to be attractive mostly to Republicans. Democrats and Independents are not convinced about this course of action.

On this divisive topic, there are two issues where Americans continue to find agreement. Most respondents coalesce around the idea that pregnancy termination should be legal under certain circumstances, and a sizeable majority across all demographics supports the notion of minors only seeking to terminate a pregnancy with the consent of their parents or guardians.

Our previous polls on abortion in the United States can be accessed here:
January 2010 / July 2010 / October 2011

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 June 19 to June 20, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,005 randomly selected 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.