---
title: "North-South divide over abortion grows"
description: "There is a widening gap in support for legal abortion between New England (75%) and the South Central states (40%)."
date: "2013-09-03"
authors:
  - name: "Andrea Caumont"
    job_title: "Associate Director, Digital Outreach"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/andrea-caumont/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2013/09/03/north-south-divide-over-abortion-grows/"
---

# North-South divide over abortion grows

[![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/07/4-Growing-Opposition-to-Abortion-in-the-South1.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/07/29/widening-regional-divide-over-abortion-laws/)

While the balance of opinion toward abortion nationwide has remained largely steady over the past 20 years, there are [widening disparities](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/07/29/widening-regional-divide-over-abortion-laws/) in public attitudes on the issue across different regions of the country.

The biggest gap in support for legal abortion – and one that has widened over the years -- is between the South Central and Northeast regions of the U.S.

In 1995 and 1996, 70% of New England residents generally supported legal access to abortion compared with 52% in the South Central region – an 18-point gap, according to Washington Post/ABC News surveys. This difference has nearly doubled to 35 points in Pew Research Center surveys during 2012-2013. Support for legal abortion remained widespread in New England (75%), but fell to just 40% in the South Central states.