Poll: Over half of young women say they would get an abortion even if it were illegal
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Over half of young women aged 18-29 say they would get an abortion if they had an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy — even if it were illegal, according to a new Generation Lab flash poll first provided to Axios.
Why it matters: Last week's news that the Supreme Court is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade has raised questions on what access would look like without a federal right to an abortion. Even in states where they remain legal, abortions could be harder to access because those clinics could be flooded with patients from states that have cracked down.
- Women in their 20s accounted for the majority of abortions between 2010 and 2019.
By the numbers: 56% of respondents who identified as women said they would seek out an abortion provider even if it was illegal and they had an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy.
- 34% said they would have the baby in the event abortion was illegal, while 10% said they'd attempt to end the pregnancy at home.
- 45% of respondents who identified as men said they would take additional precautions like using physical contraceptives more often if abortion were illegal, while 43% said they would not change anything and 11% said they would be more likely to get a vasectomy.
- 49% of all respondents said abortion should be legal in all cases, 27% said it should be legal in most cases, 16% said it should be illegal in most cases and 8% said it should be illegal in all cases.
- 46% of respondents said they have a "mostly unfavorable" opinion of the Supreme Court, while 22% said their opinion was "very unfavorable." 28% said it was "mostly favorable," and only 4% said they had a "very favorable" opinion.
The big picture: Approximately six in 10 U.S. adults believe abortion should be legal in "all or most cases," according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.
- Abortion clinics are already preparing to shift people and resources away from red states, while blue states are taking steps to plan for a potential influx in patients if Roe falls.
Methodology: This poll surveyed 813 people ranging from ages 18 to 29 between May 5 and 8. 460 people self-identified as women and 353 self-identified as men.
Go deeper: The state of abortion in America
