(08/23/12) -

Americans of All Political Stripes Believe Akin Should Drop Out of Senate Race

Four-in-five respondents disagree with the Congressman’s recent comments about pregnancy and rape.

Americans have reacted with dismay at the recent comments made by Missouri Representative Todd Akin, and a majority believe he should not carry on with his U.S. Senate campaign, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,010 American adults, half of Americans (50%) say they have followed news stories related to the comments made by Akin “very closely” or “moderately closely.”

Four-in-five Americans (84%) disagree with the assertion made by Akin during a television interview, when he suggested that pregnancy from rape is “really rare” and added: “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

Akin—who is the Republican candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Missouri—has since apologized for using “the wrong words in the wrong way.” Still, three-in-five Americans (63%) think he should “definitely” or “probably” drop out of the Senate race.

Across the country, 58 per cent of male respondents and 67 per cent of female respondents believe Akin abandon his Senate bid—along with 70 per cent of Democrats, 66 per cent of Independents, and 50 per cent of Republicans.

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 August 22 to August 23, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,010 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.