59% Know Someone Who Had an Abortion

Most Americans personally know someone who has had an abortion, according to a Pew Research Center survey fielded in March—prior to the leaking of the Supreme Court's draft opinion in a case challenging Roe v. Wade. "Personally know" is defined as a close friend, family member, or themselves.

There are surprisingly few differences by demographic characteristic in the share of Americans who personally know someone who has had an abortion. At least 50 percent of every demographic segment—with the exception of the youngest adults—personally know someone who has had an abortion. 

Personally know someone who has had an abortion

Total 18-plus: 59%

Aged 18 to 29: 46%

Aged 30 to 49: 60%

Aged 50 to 64: 65%

Aged 65-plus: 60%

Blacks: 67%

Hispanics: 50%

Whites: 61%

Democrats: 62%

Republicans: 57%

Catholics: 55%

Protestants: 61%

White evangelicals: 58%

No religion: 61%

Women (66 percent) are much more likely than men (51 percent) to personally know someone who has had an abortion. This pattern holds true in every demographic segment. 

Source: Pew Research Center, America's Abortion Quandary

Most Americans Support the Right to Abortion

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, as now appears likely, it will be in defiance of public opinion. The great majority of Americans support abortion rights. Take a look at the latest numbers from the 2021 General Social Survey (GSS)...

89% think abortion should be legal if a woman's health is seriously endangered

84% think abortion should be legal if a woman becomes pregnant as a result of rape

77% think abortion should be legal if there is a strong chance of serious defect in the baby

54% think abortion should be legal if a woman wants it for any reason

The General Social Survey has been probing the public's attitudes toward legal abortion since 1972. In that year, 87 percent thought abortion should be legal if a woman's health was seriously endangered. Seventy-nine percent favored legal abortion in the case of rape, and 79 percent supported the right to abortion if there was a serious defect in the baby. For the past 50 years, the public has overwhelmingly supported the right to legal abortion in these circumstances.  

The broader question—whether abortion should be legal if a woman wants one for any reason—was first asked by the GSS in 1977. In that year, only 37 percent of the public supported legal abortion for any reason. The figure inched upward over the years, surpassing 50 percent for the first time in 2018. The 54 percent of 2021 is an all-time high for this measure. 

Perhaps tellingly, support for a woman's right to a legal abortion for any reason does not vary much by age. Among 18-to-44-year-olds, 57 percent support a woman's right to choose. The share is 53 percent in the 45-to-64 age group and 52 percent among those aged 65 or older. Among men, 53 percent support the right to abortion for any reason. Among women, the share is 56 percent.

With this kind of long-term and widespread support for legal abortion, at least in some circumstances, the public is not likely to let these rights go without a fight. Politicians take note.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2021 General Social Survey

Attitudes Toward Abortion Are Complex

Seventy-three percent of Americans do not want to see the landmark abortion rights ruling Roe v. Wade overturned, according to Planned Parenthood. But what does that mean? The public's attitudes toward abortion are complex, as the General Social Survey has shown over the past 40 years. The GSS includes a battery of question about the circumstances under which women should have the right to a legal abortion. These are the attitudes of the American public  in 2018 and trends over the decades...

Abortion should be legal if a woman's health is in danger: 90 percent of Americans support the right to a legal abortion if a woman's health is in danger, a figure that has not changed significantly in four decades.

Abortion should be legal if a woman has been raped: 79 percent of the public support the right to a legal abortion if her pregnancy is the result of rape, a figure that has not changed significantly in four decades.

Abortion should be legal if the baby has a serious defect: 76 percent support the right to a legal abortion "if there is a strong chance of serious defect in the baby," a figure that has barely changed in four decades.

Abortion should be legal if a married woman doesn't want more children: 50 percent of the public supports the right to an abortion if a married woman does not want more children. This figure was as low as 38 percent in 1983 and has increased somewhat over the years.

Abortion should be legal if a woman cannot afford more children: Only 49 percent of the public supports the right to an abortion for economic reasons, a figure that was as low as 40 percent in 2004 and as high as 55 percent in 1974.

Abortion should be legal if a woman is single: Only 44 percent of the public supports the right to a legal abortion if a woman is not married. This figure has barely changed over the past four decades.

The great majority of Americans may not want Roe v. Wade to be overturned, but they are deeply divided on when a woman should be able to exercise her legal right to an abortion. How many think this decision should be up to the women herself? Here's the General Social Survey question: "Do you think it should be possible for a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion if the woman wants it for any reason?" Half of Americans support the right to a legal abortion for any reason. The figure was 34 percent in 1978, climbed to 40 percent in 1998, and reached 50 percent in 2018.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the General Social Survey

ACA = Fewer Abortions

Expect 25,000 fewer abortions per year because of the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act, according to a study by Karen Mulligan in the journal Demography. 

Although 30 states had already mandated contraceptive coverage in health insurance plans, 20 states were straggling until the ACA kicked in. By extending access to contraception without co-pay to women in all 50 states, according to Mulligan's analysis, birth control use increases by 2.1 percent and the abortion rate declines by 3 percent. The result is fewer abortions.

Source: Demography, Contraceptive Use, Abortions, and Births: The Effect of Insurance Mandates ($39.95)