Americans’ dissatisfaction with US abortion policies hits all-time high

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe vs. Wade, public sentiment has largely supported increased access to abortion.

by Gianna Melillo | Feb. 10, 2023

FILE – A woman supporting abortion-rights holds a sign outside the South Carolina Statehouse on July 7, 2022, in Columbia, S.C. Emboldened by the results of November’s midterms, abortion rights supporters say they are preparing for even bigger fights in state legislatures and pivotal elections to come. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)

Story at a glance

The new poll from Gallup found 69 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the nation’s abortion policies, with many preferring less strict laws.

For the first time since Gallup began measuring the sentiment, pluralities of Catholic and Protestant respondents reported dissatisfaction with the current laws and supported less strict policies.

Findings are based on a survey carried out in January 2023.

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans are dissatisfied with the country’s abortion policies, marking the highest rate measured in 23 years, a new Gallup poll found.

The results come more than seven months after the Supreme Court struck down Roe vs. Wade, the ruling that guaranteed a woman’s right to an abortion. Since then, many states have banned the practice or moved to significantly curb abortion access.

However, voters in the five states that put the issue on the ballot in November voted in support of abortion rights. In August, voters in Kansas also rejected a measure that would have restricted access.

Of the 69 percent of Americans dissatisfied with the status quo, 46 percent want less strict laws around the procedure, while 15 percent want more strict policies, the Gallup poll found.

The total who prefer less strict laws marks a 16-point increase compared with January 2022.

In addition, 26 percent of Americans are satisfied with current abortion policies, slightly higher than last year’s record low of 24 percent, according to the poll.

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Previous Gallup data show those dissatisfied with the country’s laws ranged from 43 percent in 2002 and 2008 to 58 percent in 2020. But these individuals were significantly more likely to be dissatisfied because they thought policies weren’t strict enough.

From 2001 to 2021, Democrats were more likely to be satisfied with abortion laws than Republicans.

However, “record percentages in all party groups are now dissatisfied and call for less strict abortion laws, but the 74 [percent] of Democrats with these attitudes is up the most — 31 points in one year,” report authors wrote. The poll found Republicans are three times as likely as Democrats to be satisfied with the nation’s policies.

The percentage of women and men dissatisfied with the status quo and who favor less strict abortion laws are also the highest since Gallup began measuring trends. Fifty percent of women expressed these sentiments compared with 41 percent of men.

The poll found that 45 percent of Catholic respondents are satisfied with current abortion laws or want stricter laws, while 38 percent want less strict laws. Half of Protestant respondents, 50 percent, said they are satisfied or want stricter laws, while 37 percent want less strict laws. Among those without a religious affiliation, 69 percent are dissatisfied and want less strict laws, while 18 percent are satisfied and 5 percent want more strict laws.

“Last year, the percentages of Catholics and Protestants who were dissatisfied and wanted stricter laws, or less strict laws, were roughly equal. And the largest percentage of Catholics, 28 [percent], were satisfied with abortion laws,” authors wrote.

The latest survey was conducted Jan. 2-22 via landlines and cellphones with an overall margin of error of 4 percentage points.