Americans’ Opinions on Abortion

January 2023

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 Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?

On the issue of abortion, do you consider

yourself pro-life or pro-choice? Democrat Republican Independent

Pro-Life 12% 75% 33%

Pro-Choice 88% 25% 67%

61% 39%
Pro-Choice
Pro-life
60% 61%
Pro-Life 55%
57%
53%
51% 52%
56% 55%
57% 55% 56%
53%
56% 55% 57% 57%
50% 49% 51% 51%
Pro-Choice 48% 47%

49% 47%
45% 46% 47%
43% 44% 43% 42% 44% 43% 43%
40% 41% 40% 41% 40%
39% 38% 39% 39%
37%
35%

January 2012

January 2014
January 2015

January 2017

January 2018
January 2019
February 2019

January 2020

January 2021

January 2022

January 2023
May 2009

November 2015

June 2019

August 2020

October 2021

June 2022
November 2022
December 2012

December 2017
April 2016
July 2010

July 2016
Americans Pro-life Pro-choice
January 2023 2
 Restrictions on Abortion

Which one of the following

statements comes closest to your
opinion on abortion: Americans Democrats Republicans Independents

One, abortion should be available to a

woman any time she wants one during 21% 32% 4% 20%
her entire pregnancy

Two, abortion should be allowed only

during the first six months of a pregnancy 10% 19% 3% 9%
Three, abortion should be allowed
only during the first three months of
a pregnancy
25% 29% 18% 32%
Four, abortion should be allowed only
in cases of rape, incest or to save the 26% 13% 42% 23%
life of the mother
69% 49% 93% 70%
Five, abortion should be allowed
only to save the life of the mother 10% 3% 21% 8%
Six, abortion should never be
permitted under any circumstance 8% 4% 12% 7%

January 2023 3
 Restrictions on Abortion Trend

Americans’ Opinions on Abortion Restrictions Over Time

100%

86% 90%
84% 83% 84% 84%
81% 81% 80%
79% 79% 78%
76% 76% 75% 76% 80%
74%
70% 70% 70% 71%
69%
64% 70%
62%
60%

50%

37% 40%
35%
Allow abortion 29% 30% 29% 29%
31%
27%
without restrictions 22% 23% 23% 24% 25% 30%
21% 20% 20% 21%
17% 17% 18%
16% 16% 20%
14%

10%

4%
17%
0%
Unsure
Oct May July Jan Dec Jan Jan Nov April July Jan Dec Jan Jan Feb June Jan Aug Jan Oct Jan June Jan
2008 2009 2010 2012 2012 2014 2015 2015 2016 2016 2017 2017 2018 2019 2019 2019 2020 2020 2021 2021 2022 2022 2023

Illegal
Any time/Six months At most within the first three months

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 Tax Dollars at Home
Strongly Oppose/
Do you strongly support, support, oppose, or Support/Support Strongly Oppose
strongly oppose using tax dollars to pay for a
woman’s abortion? Pro-Life 6% 94%

Pro-Choice 62% 38%

40% Oppose/
Democrat 66% 34%
Strongly Republican 8% 92%
Oppose
Support/
Strongly
Independent 41% 59%
Support 60% 68% 68% 66%
62% 61% 60% 60% 61% 60%
55% 55% 57%
54%

42% 42% 40%

36% 39% 37% 38% 37%
35% 35%
31%
28% 28%

Americans Support/Strongly Support Oppose/Strongly Opppose

January 2023 5
 Tax Dollars Abroad
Strongly Oppose/
Do you strongly support, support, oppose, or Support/Support Strongly Oppose
strongly oppose using tax dollars to fund
abortion services in other countries? Pro-Life 5% 95%

Pro-Choice 33% 67%

22%
Support/ Democrat 39% 61%
Strongly
Support/ Republican 4% 96%
Strongly support/ Support
Strongly Support
Support Independent 19% 81%
Oppose/Strongly
Unsure Oppose
Oppose/ 83%
78%
75% 76% 77% 77%
Strongly oppose 73%

78%
Oppose/
Strongly Oppose

21% 21% 22% 22%

19% 19%
14%

Americans Support/Strongly Support Oppose/Strongly Opppose

January 2023 6
 Down Syndrome
Strongly Oppose/
Do you strongly support, support, oppose, or Support/Support Strongly Oppose
strongly oppose abortion because the child will be
born with Down Syndrome? Pro-Life 14% 86%

Pro-Choice 57% 43%

Democrat 52% 48%
Support/ Republican 21% 79%
60%
Oppose/
Strongly support/
40%
Strongly Support
Independent 43% 57%
Strongly Oppose
Support
Oppose/ Support/
Strongly Oppose/
Strongly
Oppose StronglySupport
oppose
69%
65%
62%
60%

40%

26% 26%
22%

Americans January 2019 January 2020 January 2021 January 2023

January 2023 7
Strongly support/Support Oppose/Strongly oppose
 On the Basis of Gender or Sex
Strongly Oppose/
Do you strongly support, support, oppose, or Support/Support Strongly Oppose
strongly oppose abortion because of the child’s
gender or sex? Pro-Life 2% 98%
Support/
Strongly Support Pro-Choice 9% 91%
6% Democrat 9% 91%
Republican 2% 98%
Independent 6% 94%
74%
Oppose/
94% Strongly oppose

Oppose/
Strongly Oppose

20%

5%
1%

Americans Strongly support Support Oppose Strongly oppose

January 2023 8
Americans
 Pregnancy Resource Centers
Strongly Oppose/
Do you strongly support, support, oppose, or Support/Support Strongly Oppose
strongly oppose pregnancy resource centers which
are places that do not perform abortions but
instead offer support to people during their
Pro-Life 95% 5%
pregnancy and after the baby is born?

Oppose/
Pro-Choice 88% 12%
Strongly Oppose
Democrat 89% 11%
9% Republican 94% 6%
Independent 91% 9%
56%

91% 35%
Support/Strongly Support

6%
3%

Americans Strongly support Support Oppose Strongly oppose

January 2023 9
Americans
 Conscience Objections to Performing Abortions
Should be legally Should not be legally
Do you think doctors, nurses, or other health care required required
professionals who have religious objections to
abortion should or should not be legally required
to perform abortions? Pro-Life 6% 94%

Pro-Choice 34% 66%

23%
Democrat 37% 63%
Should be Republican 9% 91%
legally required
Independent 22% 78%
75% 75% 77%

60%
77%
56% 54% 55% 53%
51%

Should not be legally

40% 41%
required 37% 35% 38% 35%
23% 23% 23%

July January January January January October January June January

2016* 2017* 2018* 2019* 2021* 2021** 2022** 2022 2023
Should be legally required Should not be legally required

Americans ** Do you think doctors, nurses, or other health care professionals who have moral objections to abortion
January 2023 should or should not be legally required to perform abortions? 10
*Previous question wording: Do you think doctors, nurses, or organizations who have moral objections to
abortion should or should not be legally required to perform or provide insurance coverage for abortions?
 Conscience Objections to Providing Insurance Coverage
Should be legally Should not be
Do you think organizations who have religious required legally required
objections to abortion should or should not be
legally required to provide insurance coverage
for abortions? Pro-Life 13% 87%
Pro-Choice 66% 34%
Democrat 69% 31%
Republican 17% 83%
45% Independent 48% 52%
55% Should not be
Should be
Should not legally required
legally
55%
be legally required 54%

required

45%
42%

January 2022 January 2023

Americans
January 2023 Should be legally required Should not be legally required 11
 Laws Can Protect Both

Laws can protect both Laws must choose

Which statement comes closer to your view: It is
possible to have laws which protect both the
health and well-being of a woman and the life of
the unborn, or it is necessary for laws to choose
Pro-Life 91% 9%
to protect one and not the other?
Pro-Choice 88% 12%
Laws must Democrat 88% 12%
choose
Republican 95% 5%
Laws must
choose 10% Independent 88% 12%

Laws can protect 90%

84% 84% 84% 83%
both 77% 78% 78% 80% 80% 81% 80%

90%
Laws can protect both
16% 17% 15% 15% 14% 14% 14%
12% 12% 10% 12% 10%

Americans
January 2023 12
Laws can protect both Laws must choose
 Study Methodology

• This survey of 1,025 adults was conducted January 6th through January 9th, 2023 by
the Marist Poll sponsored in partnership with the Knights of Columbus.
• Survey questions were available in English or Spanish and conducted online and by
phone using the probability-based SSRS Opinion Panel.
• The samples were then combined and balanced to reflect the 2020 American
Community Survey 5-year estimates for age, gender, income, race, and region.
Results are statistically significant within ±3.5 percentage points. There are 885
registered voters. The results for this subset are statistically significant within ±3.8
percentage points.
• Tables include results for subgroups to only display crosstabs with an acceptable
sampling error. It should be noted that although you may not see results listed for a
certain group, it does not mean interviews were not completed with those
individuals. It simply means the sample size is too small to report.
• The error margin was adjusted for sample weights and increases for cross-
tabulations.

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Public Opinion
is a survey research center at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Michael Conte The Marist Poll has conducted independent research on public priorities,
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