Record share of U.S. voters back abortion rights and will vote on it: Gallup
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A record 32% of voters say they would only vote for candidates for major offices if they share their views on abortion, according to a new Gallup poll out Thursday.
Why it matters: The surge in single-issue voters who are "pro-choice" could spell trouble for vulnerable Republicans. Some have already distanced themselves from hardline views on abortion over fears of an Election Day rout in November.
- More "pro-choice" voters now say they will prioritize the issue when voting for candidates. That finding reinforces previous polling showing that abortion rights voters remain galvanized by the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
By the numbers: More than half (54%) of the survey's 1,024 respondents said they are "pro-choice." That's down one percentage point from the record pro-choice sentiment Gallup recorded after a draft of the court's Dobbs v. Jackson draft decision was leaked in May 2022.
- 41% of respondents said they were "pro-life," slightly down from Gallup readings over two years ago but still within the survey's margin or error of ±4 percentage points.
- 23% of "pro-choice" voters said they only vote for candidates who share their views on abortion, a major increase from the 17% Gallup had recorded in 2022 and 2023.
- On the other hand, 8% of "pro-life" voters said would only vote for "pro-life" candidates, down from the 10% recorded in 2022 and 2023.
Zoom in: 35% of those survey said abortion should be legal under any circumstance, up about 10 percentage points since 2019.
- Half said abortions should be legal under specific circumstances.
- Those who oppose abortion in all circumstances was down to 12%.
Between the lines: The results show Democrats have become far more "pro-choice," more supportive of abortions under any circumstances and more likely to see abortion as morally acceptable since 2021.
Zoom out: Three out of five (61%) people said they believed an abortion pill, known as mifepristone, should be available in the country as a prescription drug.
- 32% Republicans said they are are in favor of the pill, and it was supported by a majority of both independents (61%) and most Democrats (87%).
- The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a legal challenge to restrict access to medication abortion, saying the doctors who opposed the medication, but don't take or prescribe it, lacked standing.
Go deeper: Trump speaks to Christian group that wants to "eradicate" abortion
Methodology: The results of this poll are from telephone interviews between May 1 and May 23 with 1,024 adults living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, including 929 registered voters. It has a margin of error of ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect Thursday's Supreme Court decision.
