Majority in new poll opposed to Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe one year ago

A majority of Americans are opposed to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last year, according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.

The poll, published Wednesday, found that 57 percent of respondents oppose the court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, while 40 percent said they support the court’s decision. 

Americans’ opinions have shifted little since the court handed down its decision in June 2022. At the time, 56 percent of respondents in a similar poll said they opposed the court’s decision. 

Responses in the recent poll varied across party lines, with 74 percent of registered Democratic respondents opposing the court’s decision to overturn the ruling, compared to 59 percent of registered Independent respondents and 27 percent of registered Republican respondents. 

Opposition spanned both age and racial groups. Among respondents aged 18 to 29, 66 percent said they oppose the court’s decision to overturn Roe, while 53 percent of 30- to 44-year-old respondents, 55 percent of 45- to 59-year-old respondents and 56 percent of respondents 60 years or older agreed with the sentiment.

White and non-white Americans surveyed were nearly equally opposed to the ruling, with 59 percent of non-white respondents and 57 percent of white respondents saying they were opposed.

The poll comes nearly a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established the right to abortion. 

Following the ruling, a number of GOP-led states have either implemented or enacted abortion bans and restrictions.

President Biden and Vice President Harris will mark the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the ruling by participating in a campaign event Friday. 

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll was conducted from June 12-14 with a total of 1,327 adults participating in the survey. The poll’s overall margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.