Where abortion views remain close
Core finding
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%.
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
34% say abortion should be illegal in most cases, while 31% say legal in most cases.
n = 1,000 · Jan 18–24, 2024 · MoE ±3.5%
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
37% say some abortion rights, while 29% say a lot.
n = 1,000 · Jan 18–24, 2024 · MoE ±3.5%
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.
Topline
Supreme Court justices are the most named actor for abortion-policy changes.
n = 296 · Jan 18–24, 2024 · MoE ±6.4%
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 | Jan 18–24, 2024 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| 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
- www.verasight.io/post/verasights-supports-academic-and-nonprofit-researchers
When you think about abortion, which of the following is closest to your personal opinion?
Cite this topic
Verasight Interdisciplinary Omnibus Survey #2024-006, fielded January 18-24, 2024, N=1,000 United States adults, +/- 3.5%.