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Where abortion views remain close

Source reportMethodology

Overview

Abortion views remain close and complicated: legal-status preferences, rights views, state-law knowledge, and responsibility all point away from one simple camp.

About 34% say abortion should be illegal in most cases, while 31% say it should be legal in most cases. When adults name who is most responsible for the end of the constitutional right to abortion access, Supreme Court justices lead at 47%.

Topline

34% say abortion should be illegal in most cases, while 31% say legal in most cases.

When you think about abortion, which of the following is closest to your personal opinion?

  • Abortion should be illegal in most cases 33.8%
  • Abortion should be legal in most cases 31.4%
  • Abortion should be legal in all cases 24.3%
  • Abortion should be illegal in all cases 10.5%

2024 · base n 3,000 · +/- 3.5%

Verasight Interdisciplinary Omnibus Survey #2024-006

View source data

Personal abortion views are narrowly split

Personal abortion views do not settle into one dominant answer. About 34% say abortion should be illegal in most cases.

Close behind, 31% say abortion should be legal in most cases, 24% say legal in all cases, and 11% say illegal in all cases.

Topline

37% say some abortion rights, while 29% say a lot.

Wade in 2022?

  • Some 37.4%
  • A lot 29.0%
  • Very Little 21.2%
  • None 12.5%

2024 · base n 3,000 · +/- 3.5%

Verasight Interdisciplinary Omnibus Survey #2024-006

View source data

Rights and policy views are also spread out

On abortion-rights views, 37% say some, 29% say a lot, 21% say very little, and 13% say none.

Policy views show the same lack of one clean majority. The two largest shares are separated by less than one point in the abortion-rights policy question.

Topline

Supreme Court justices are the most named actor for abortion-policy changes.

Which do you believe is the MOST responsible?

  • The Justices on the Supreme Court 46.7%
  • Congressional Republicans 17.0%
  • Donald Trump 16.3%
  • Joe Biden 10.2%
  • Congressional Democrats 5.9%
  • Don't know 3.8%

2024 · base n 3,000 · +/- 3.5%

Verasight Interdisciplinary Omnibus Survey #2024-006

View source data

Knowledge and blame add another layer

Knowledge of state abortion law is unsettled. About 23% are not sure what the laws in their state are, while 22% say abortion is fully banned with few exceptions.

Responsibility views are more concentrated. Supreme Court justices are the leading named actor, at 47% in one question and 45% in a select-all version.

Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Population
United States adults
Field dates
2024-01-18 → 2024-01-24
Base (unweighted)
3,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.5%
Module
Verasight Interdisciplinary Omnibus Survey #2024-006
Sponsor
Verasight
Weight variable
weight
Weighting targets
age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

Sources

[6]
  • 01
    When you think about abortion, which of the following is closest to your personal opinion?Shows the close split in personal abortion views.reports.verasight.io/reports/verasight-interdisciplinary-omnibus-survey-2024-006
  • 02
    Wade in 2022?Adds the spread across abortion-rights views and policy preferences.reports.verasight.io/reports/verasight-interdisciplinary-omnibus-survey-2024-006
  • 03
    To the best of your knowledge, what is the legal status of abortion in your state as of today?Shows uncertainty and variation in state-law knowledge.reports.verasight.io/reports/verasight-interdisciplinary-omnibus-survey-2024-006
  • 04
    Which do you believe is the MOST responsible?Adds who adults name as responsible for abortion-policy changes.reports.verasight.io/reports/verasight-interdisciplinary-omnibus-survey-2024-006
  • 05
    Which of these statements comes closest to your view on abortion rights?reports.verasight.io/reports/verasight-interdisciplinary-omnibus-survey-2024-006
  • 06
    Please select the actors on this list who you believe are responsiblereports.verasight.io/reports/verasight-interdisciplinary-omnibus-survey-2024-006

Citation

Verasight Interdisciplinary Omnibus Survey #2024-006, fielded January 18-24, 2024, N=3,000 United States adults, +/- 3.5%.

https://reports.verasight.io/reports/verasight-interdisciplinary-omnibus-survey-2024-006#when-you-think-about-abortion-which-of-the-following-is-closest-to-your-personal-opinion

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. Each wave's specific field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that wave's report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
Every wave is published as a standalone report at verasight.io/reports with full instrument and methodology.
Transparency
AAPOR transparency standards.

Wave-specific methodology, full weighting variable lists, and verbatim instrument text live in each report at verasight.io/reports.