Americans are increasingly likely to say they support abortion access “for any reason,” according to a poll released Tuesday from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
A solid majority of respondents — 61 percent — in the June survey say that their state should allow someone to obtain a legal abortion if “the person does not want to be pregnant for any reason.”
That represents a 12 point increase from the 49 percent who held that view in a June 2021 survey, which was conducted one year before the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Support for abortion rights “for any reason” has also risen from the 54 percent who backed it in June of last year.
The rise in such support extends across the political spectrum and gender divide.
Since 2021, support for this view increased 11 points among Republicans, from 27 percent to 38 percent; 14 points among Democrats, up from 69 percent to 83; and 11 points among independents, 46 percent to 57.
Support among men rose 8 points, from 51 percent to 59 percent, and among women by 17 points, from 46 percent to 63.
A total of 70 percent say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, up from 64 percent a year ago.
Abortion access has become an increasingly prominent issue in U.S. politics. Since the Supreme Court’s landmark 2022 decision, full abortion bans with limited exceptions have gone into effect in 14 Republican-controlled states, and three other states have restricted abortion after about six weeks.
Former President Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has carefully approached the topic of abortion access, which is broadly seen as the Republican Party’s least popular issue. Trump has touted his role in appointing Supreme Court justices who secured the majority to overturn Roe v. Wade and has embraced the view that states should set their own abortion laws.
President Biden and congressional Democrats, have backed legislation that enshrines Roe’s protections at the federal level.
The poll of 1,088 adults was conducted from June 20-24. Its margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
