The overwhelming majority of Americans don’t want Roe vs. Wade overturned, according to a wide-ranging survey that asked voters about abortion, morality, Brett Kavanaugh, and the Supreme Court. Forty-nine percent of Republican voters say they don’t want Roe overturned.
Contrary to popular wisdom, voters aren’t conflicted about abortion and don’t have mixed views on the topic. Most are certain that they want abortion to remain legal. The survey suggests that legislators have moved far away from the desires of their constituents. Legislation in Ohio, for example, would ban abortion clinics in the state from performing an abortion once a fetus has a detectable heartbeat.
PerryUndem Voter Survey on Abortion, SCOTUS, Kavanaugh
The survey polled 1,319 registered voters December 14-28, 2018. It included an oversample of Black, Latino/a, Asian-American, and Pacific-Islander voters. The study’s authors suggest the margin of error is +/- 3.1 percent.
Survey Highlights
The survey asked a wide battery of questions on issues related to abortion, gender justice, and more. Some highlights include:
Abortion
- Abortion support is the highest it’s been in years, with 73% of voters wanting Roe to remain intact and 67% saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
- Sixty-eight percent of voters say they do not struggle with their views on abortion.
- More Republicans want Roe to remain intact (49%) than want Roe overturned (48%).
- Fifty-five percent of Republicans and 56% of Trump supporters say abortion is an important part of women’s rights.
- Forty-four percent of Democrats say they would not vote with a candidate whose views did not match theirs on abortion. Republicans are more likely to vote for a candidate with whom they disagree about abortion. Just 34% say abortion is a deal-breaker.
Kavanaugh and the Supreme Court
- Most voters think the Senate should not have confirmed Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Just 35% say the Senate did “the right thing.”
- Most voters think Justice Kavanaugh lied about his behavior during his adolescence (57%).
State Abortion Restrictions
- Voters overwhelmingly do not want new state-level restrictions. Even among those who think abortion should only be allowed during the first trimester, 85% do not want new regulations. Fifty-four percent of those who think abortion should only be permitted for rape, incest, or to save the mother oppose new state-level abortion restrictions.
- Sixty-three percent of voters want their state to protect or expand abortion access.
- Seventy-two percent oppose D&E bans.
- Most voters were unaware of the trend of state-level abortion restrictions. Just 48% have heard of such bans.
The results suggest that voters may not be aware of abortion restrictions, and many do not understand how state-level laws can affect abortion access. This may explain a lack of engagement, despite overwhelming support for abortion.