Quinnipiac Poll: Support for Abortion at Two-Decade High

A new Quinnipiac University poll found that two-thirds of voters think abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

The survey found that 34 percent of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in all cases, and 32 percent say it should be legal in most cases. Quinnipiac University, a left-leaning pollster, said support for legal abortion is at “the highest level in two decades” of polling on the issue.

Conversely, 27 percent of voters think abortion should be illegal in most cases (22 percent) or all cases (5 percent).

Broken down by political affiliation, 58 percent of Democrats say abortion should be legal in all cases, while 30 percent of independents and 14 percent of Republicans say the same.

Thirty percent of Democrats say abortion should be legal in most cases, as do 31 percent of Republicans, and 38 percent of independents.

Republicans are most likely to say abortion should be illegal in most cases (37 percent) or all cases (11 percent). Twenty-two percent of independents likewise think abortion should be illegal in most cases, but only  percent say it should be barred in all cases. Ten percent of Democrats say abortion should be illegal in most cases (seven percent) or all cases (three percent).

A majority of white evangelicals say abortion should be illegal in most cases (45 percent) or all cases (12 percent). Thirty-four percent say it should be legal in all (10 percent) or most cases (24 percent), according to the survey.

Respondents were asked how they would respond if a friend or family member told them she is planning to get an abortion.

“A majority (53 percent) would support her plan, while 32 percent would try to talk her out of it, and 14 percent did not offer an opinion,” according to the survey report. 

Support was much higher if the woman  was a victim a rape or incest, 80 percent to 13 percent with seven percent abstaining, the survey found. 

Overall, when respondents were asked what the most urgent issue facing the United States is, only five percent say abortion, while 23 percent say economy, 24 percent say immigration, and 18 percent say preserving democracy. 

The survey was conducted between April 18-22, 2024 with 1,603 adults. The margin of sampling error is ±2.5 percentage points.