What the data says about abortion in the U.S.
The U.S. abortion rate has generally declined since the 1980s, but there have been slight upticks in the late 2010s and early 2020s.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
The U.S. abortion rate has generally declined since the 1980s, but there have been slight upticks in the late 2010s and early 2020s.
U.S. adults disagree over whether legal restrictions on abortion are an effective way to reduce the number of abortions in the U.S.
As the nation’s post-Roe chapter begins and the legal battle shifts to the states, here are key facts about Americans’ views on abortion.
About three-quarters of U.S. Catholics (76%) say abortion should be illegal in some cases but legal in others.
There has been a jump in the share of U.S. adults who see the Supreme Court as “friendly” toward religion.
67% of U.S. Catholics say Joe Biden should be allowed to receive Communion during Mass, while 29% say he should not be allowed to do this.
Like U.S. adults overall, the majority of U.S. Catholics say abortion should be legal – at least in some cases.
Roughly one-in-five of the Christian congregations we analyzed in an eight-week period heard at least one sermon that mentioned abortion.
Majorities in four of the seven states that enacted strict new abortion laws in 2019 say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.
Christians are more likely than religiously unaffiliated Americans to see the Supreme Court favorably (69% vs. 51%).
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