Today the Associated Press (AP) and the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) released the results of a new poll that contained several questions about sanctity-of-life issues. They surveyed over 1,200 adults during the end of June. The results add to a body of public opinion research showing that public attitudes toward abortion have remained fairly constant since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in June 2022.
Overall, the question wording in this AP/NORC poll was not great for pro-lifers. Many of the survey questions asked whether “your state should or should not allow a pregnant person to obtain a legal abortion” in different circumstances. The poll failed to indicate whether limits on abortion included any exceptions — even for life of the mother. Additionally, polling questions that frame pro-life laws as protective of preborn children usually receive far greater public support.
That said, the AP/NORC poll contains some useful information for pro-lifers. Most importantly, the polling result reveals a great deal of stability in abortion attitudes. This was the fourth poll conducted by AP/NORC since May 2022 that contained questions about sanctity-of-life issues. Interestingly, in these four polls, support for legal abortion has fluctuated by only two percentage points. This is a remarkable amount of stability in light of the fact many states have enacted significant abortion-policy changes during the past year.
Additionally, the poll finds that 68 percent of adults oppose legal abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Also, despite poor question wording, 45 percent oppose legal abortion after 15 weeks’ gestation. Finally, only a minority of respondents, 39 percent, think it is “too difficult” for women in their community to obtain an abortion. An even smaller minority believe that it is “too difficult” to obtain family-planning services and birth control.
In the year since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, countless mainstream media outlets have aggressively spun polling data to try to make the case that there has been a groundswell of support for legal abortion. There is some evidence that supporters of legal abortion have become more motivated and are more likely to vote in various elections. However, pro-lifers should take heart. Reliable data from a number of survey research firms including Gallup, Marist, and AP/NORC have shown that there has actually been a great deal of stability in abortion attitudes during the past year.