A recent Gallup survey on sanctity-of-life issues has a number of commentators and mainstream media outlets swooning. This Gallup poll found a significant increase in the percentage of people who reported that they are “dissatisfied with the nation’s policies regarding the abortion issue.” Specifically, the poll found that 69 percent of Americas were dissatisfied with America’s abortion laws. This includes 46 percent who prefer that these laws be made less strict — a gain of 16 percentage points since January 2022. This Gallup poll has been covered by a number of media outlets, including the Hill, Forbes, Fox News, and Yahoo! News.
Many are spinning the results of this poll to make the case there have been gains in public support for legal abortion. However, there is much less here than meets the eye. Indeed, polls that have asked about specific policy questions about sanctity-of-life issues reveal that attitudes about abortion have been fairly stable for the past year. The Knights of Columbus/Marist poll that was released in late January (before the March for Life) found a gain of two percentage points in the number of people identifying as “pro-life” since June 2022. Similarly, the same poll found a gain of six percentage points since January 2022 in the number of people opposing the use of tax dollars to pay for abortions.
Furthermore, the fact this Gallup poll asked about national abortion policy rather than state abortion policy likely skews the results. The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision allowed states to enact protective pro-life laws that often poll well in conservative parts of the country. This has likely increased the number of people who are satisfied with their own state’s abortion policy. Indeed, several Republican governors who signed strong pro-life laws won by large margins in 2022 despite facing well-financed Democratic challengers in 2022. These victorious Republican Governors include Mike DeWine (Ohio), Greg Abbott (Texas), Brian Kemp (Ga.), and Ron DeSantis (Fla.).
Media coverage of sanctity-of-life issues has become even more biased since the Dobbs decision. It should come as no surprise that media coverage of abortion surveys will become more partisan as well. However, pro-lifers should not be discouraged. Pro-lifers have made admirable progress, as protective pro-life laws have taken effect in 13 states since last summer. Additionally, the South Carolina state senate recently passed legislation that would protect preborn children after a fetal heartbeat could be detected. Furthermore, many candidates who supported pro-life legislation and took a strong pro-life stance won by comfortable margins during the 2022 midterms. As always, pro-lifers would do well to stay the course.