For a detailed analysis of Pew Research Center’s latest data on the U.S. public’s abortion attitudes, read “Nearly a Year After Roe’s Demise, Americans’ Views of Abortion Access Increasingly Vary by Where They Live.”

Views on abortion, 1995-2022

While public support for legal abortion has fluctuated some in two decades of polling, it has remained relatively stable over the past several years. Currently, 61% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 37% say it should be illegal in all or most cases.


% of U.S. adults who say abortion should be legal/illegal (1995-2022)
YearLegal in all/most casesIllegal in all/most cases
199560%38%
199657%40%
1997
199854%42%
199956%42%
200053%43%
200154%43%
2002
200357%42%
200455%43%
200557%41%
200651%43%
200752%42%
200854%40%
200947%44%
201050%44%
201153%42%
201254%39%
201354%40%
201455%40%
201551%43%
201657%39%
201757%40%
201858%37%
201961%38%
202060%38%
202159%39%
202261%37%

Data from 1995-2005 from ABC News/Washington Post polls; data for 2006 from AP-Ipsos poll.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Views on abortion by religious affiliation, 2022

For the latest data on U.S. Catholics’ views of abortion, visit our 2024 Short Read, “9 facts about U.S. Catholics.”

About three-quarters of White evangelical Protestants (74%) think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.

By contrast, 84% of religiously unaffiliated Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, as do 66% of Black Protestants, 60% of White Protestants who are not evangelical, and 56% of Catholics.


% of U.S. adults who say abortion should be legal/illegal, by religion (2022)
Religious AffiliationLegal in all/most casesIllegal in all/most cases
White evangelical Protestant24%74%
White Protestant, not evangelical60%38%
Black Protestant66%28%
Catholic56%42%
Unaffiliated84%15%
PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Views on abortion by party identification, 2022

Six-in-ten Republicans and those who lean toward the Republican Party (60%) say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. By contrast, 80% of Democrats and those who lean toward the Democratic Party say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.


% of U.S. adults who say abortion should be legal/illegal, by party identification (2022)
Party IdentificationLegal in all/most casesIllegal in all/most cases
Republican/lean Rep.38%60%
Democrat/lean Dem.80%18%
PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Views on abortion by political party and ideology, 2022

Conservative Republicans and Republican leaners are far more likely to say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases than to say that it should be legal (72% vs. 27%). Among moderate and liberal Republicans, 60% say abortion should be legal, while 38% say it should be illegal.

The vast majority of liberal Democrats and Democratic leaners support legal abortion (90%), as do seven-in-ten conservative and moderate Democrats (72%).


% of U.S. adults who say abortion should be legal/illegal, by party and ideology (2022)
Political party and ideologyLegal in all/most casesIllegal in all/most cases
Conservative Republican/lean Rep.27%72%
Moderate/liberal Republican/lean Rep.60%38%
Conservative/moderate Democrat/lean Dem.72%26%
Liberal Democrat/lean Dem.90%9%
PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Views on abortion by gender, 2022

Majorities of both men and women express support for legal abortion, though women are somewhat more likely than men to hold this view (63% vs. 58%).


% of U.S. adults who say abortion should be legal/illegal, by gender (2022)
GenderLegal in all/most casesIllegal in all/most cases
Women63%35%
Men58%41%
PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Views on abortion by race and ethnicity, 2022

Majorities of adults across racial and ethnic groups express support for legal abortion. About three-quarters of Asian (74%) and two-thirds of Black adults (68%) say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, as do 60% of Hispanic adults and 59% of White adults.


% of U.S. adults who say abortion should be legal, by race and ethnicity (2022)
Race and ethnicityLegal in all/most casesIllegal in all/most cases
White59%39%
Black68%27%
Hispanic60%40%
Asian74%26%
PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Views on abortion by age, 2022

Among adults under age 30, 74% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, as do  62% of adults in their 30s and 40s. Among those in their 50s and early 60s, 55% express support for legal abortion, as do 54% of those ages 65 and older.


% of U.S. adults who say abortion should be legal/illegal, by age (2022)
AgeLegal in all/most casesIllegal in all/most cases
18-2974%25%
30-4962%37%
50-6455%42%
65+54%44%
PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Views on abortion by level of education, 2022

Two-thirds of college graduates (66%) say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, as do 63% of those with some college education. Among those with a high school degree or less education, 54% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 44% say it should be illegal in all or most cases.


% of U.S. adults who say abortion should be legal/illegal, by education level (2022)
Level of EducationLegal in all/most casesIllegal in all/most cases
High school or less54%44%
Some college63%35%
College grad or more66%32%
PEW RESEARCH CENTER


Source:
Survey conducted March 7-13, 2022. Trend lines show aggregated data from polls conducted in each year. Data from 2019 and later come from Pew Research Center’s online American Trends Panel; prior data from telephone surveys. See report for more details on changes in survey mode. Question wording can be found here, and information on the Pew Research Center’s polling methodology can be found here. White, Black and Asian adults include those who report being one race and are not Hispanic. Hispanics are of any race. Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.