A Majority of Americans Continue to Believe Abortion Should Be Legal in Most Cases

A majority of Americans (57%) believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. This includes over a third of Republicans (36%) and 55% of independents. This is nearly unchanged from 2022 when Roe v. Wade, the case that established a constitutional right to abortion, was overturned.

A majority (54%) believe the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has been bad for the country, including 36% who say it has been “very bad for the country.”

Americans View Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood Favorably, But Are Split on Dobbs Decision

More than half rate Roe v. Wade favorably (51%), while only 16% view Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the decision that overturned Roe in 2022, favorably. Roe has a net favorability of +23 while Dobbs is at +0. Very few Americans are familiar with Dobbs; more than two-thirds (67%) say they have not heard of the case or don’t know.

• Net favorability of Roe is more than twice as high among women than men (+30 points and +14 points, respectively).
• Men are more familiar with the Dobbs decision than women. 42% of men are familiar with it compared to just 24% of women. This difference transcends party, where there is only a three-point difference (36% Democrats – 33% Republicans).

Many Cite The Overturning of Roe as the Moment The U.S. Went Off Track

As part of Navigator’s America 250 survey, among the 64% of Americans who say the country is on the wrong track, when asked to pinpoint moments the U.S. fell off track, the overturning of Roe v. Wade was one of the most popular picks. 35% of Americans who say the country is on the track say overturning Roe was when the country went on the wrong track. This is nearly as many as said the COVID-19 pandemic (36%) and 11 points more than those who said the Iraq War (24%). 

Americans Continue to Worry About Threats to Abortion Rights Nationally And In Their State 

62% of Americans believe the right to an abortion is at risk nationally and 41% say the same for their state. Americans from the Midwest and South (where many states have banned or severely restricted abortion) are more likely to say abortion is at risk in their states than those who live in the Northeast or out West.

More than half (56%) believe in the next five years it will be harder to access an abortion nationally; 46% say the same about their state. Women are 10 points more likely than men to believe it will be harder nationally (61% and 51%, respectively) and 25 points more likely than men to believe it will be harder on the state level (53% and 38%, respectively).

Americans Don’t Support Lawmakers Who Pursue Contraception and Abortion Bans

Majorities say they could not support lawmakers who backed the vast majority of anti-abortion policies. Of the issues Navigator tested, a contraception ban was the most unpopular with 70% indicating they would not support an elected official with this position. A nationwide abortion ban with no exceptions follows closely behind with 65% of Americans not supportive. 

Women are more likely than men to see these issues as dealbreakers. There is a 14 point difference between women and men who would not support an elected official with a contraception ban position. For a nationwide abortion ban with no exceptions, there is a 12 point difference between the two groups. 

Invoking Freedom and Personal Choice Helps to Link Abortion and the Economy

Nearly four-in-five Americans, including majorities of Republicans and independents, agree with statements about having a family in terms of personal control and freedom:

• “The government should not have control over my personal medical decision-making” (79% agree)
• “People should have the freedom to decide if and when to have a child” (79% agree)
• “People should have the freedom to make the best financial decisions for their family, including deciding if and when to start a family that they can provide for” (79% agree)

Many of the statements explicitly linking reproductive health and abortion to economic factors are supported by most Americans:

• “If we do more to provide women with access to reproductive healthcare including abortion, it will help them get by economically” (61% agree)
• “If we do more to make life affordable, it will reduce abortion in this country” (60% agree)
• “If we do more to make healthcare affordable, it will reduce abortion in this country” (55% agree)

Many Americans are Concerned About the Effect of Trump and Republican’s Medicaid and SNAP Cuts Impact on Women’s Healthcare, Including Access to Pregnancy Care 

More than seven-in-10 Americans are concerned by the impacts of the cuts to SNAP and Medicaid by Trump and Republicans in Congress when framed around their impacts on women’s health. 76% (including 77% of independents and 56% of Republicans) say they’re concerned that the cuts could lead “to hundreds of hospital closures and countless women having less access to essential medical care” while 72% (including 68% of independents and 53% of Republicans) say they’re concerned that the cuts could lead “to hundreds of labor and delivery hospital closures and countless women having less access to essential pregnancy and medical care.”

Successful Messages to Protect Access to Abortion Focus on Stability, Freedom, and Economics

A majority of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, find messages aimed at protecting abortion rights focused on personal freedom, economic decisions, and stability convincing.