May 15, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Poll: Support for abortion rights at a record high

Protesters holding banners and placards rally for abortion rights on May 14 in Los Angeles. Photo: Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images

A record percentage of Americans say abortion should be legal, a NBC News poll out Sunday indicates.

State of play: The poll was taken after the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion showing the high court is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Driving the news: Some 60% of Americans said abortion should always be legal (37%) or legal most of the time (23%). It's the most support for abortion rights in this poll since NBC began asking the question in 2003.

  • On the other hand, 37% said they believe abortion should be illegal with exceptions (32%) or without exceptions (5%).
  • Almost two-thirds of Americans (63%) said they don't support overturning Roe v. Wade, down from 71% in 2018 — the last time the question was asked in this poll.

Worth noting: Thirty-nine percent of registered voters said they approve of Biden's performance as president — a new low for the president in this poll.

  • Three-fourths of Americans said they believe the country is "on the wrong track." It's the fourth time in a row this number has been over 70%.

Methodology: NBC News polled 1000 Adults, including 750 respondents who were interviewed on their cell phone from May 5 to 7 and 9 to 10, 2022. The margin of error for all adults is ±3.10%. The margin among registered voters is ±3.49%

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