The divide between Democrats and Republicans on abortion is at its deepest level in years, according to a new survey on an issue that could have a major impact on the 2024 presidential election.
According to research by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), there is a 50-point gap between the two major political parties, and that gap is “widening like never before.”
More than 8 in 10 Democrats think abortion should be legal in most or all cases, but only about a third of Republicans agree.
PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman told The Hill, “We’re seeing the biggest partisan divide we’ve ever seen when it comes to Americans’ attitudes toward the legality of abortion.” .
Notably, Republican views on the procedure have remained roughly the same across the past decade or so of trend data, while approval of the legality of abortion by Democrats and independents has increased in recent years.
“In general, Americans’ attitudes toward abortion have become more supportive of abortion legality over time, but the Republican Party hasn’t really changed much. But the rest of Americans have become more supportive of abortion legality.” Deckman said.
This apparent partisan divide poses problems for both sides as abortion comes into the spotlight even more in 2024.
A strict six-week ban went into effect in Florida on Wednesday, and the Arizona Senate voted the same day to repeal the state’s Civil War-era ban. Organizers are also working in several states to put legislation on the ballot this fall that would enshrine reproductive rights in state constitutions.
Former President Trump, who is seeking re-election as President Biden, has harshly criticized former President Trump over abortion, blaming former President Trump for the loss of Roe v. Wade and subsequent state-level regulations. are doing. In a recent interview with Time magazine, President Trump suggested that states with restrictive abortion bans could monitor women’s pregnancies.
At the same time, the survey found that while Republicans generally have less support for abortion rights than Democrats, they do not express widespread support for a complete ban on abortions.
Just 15% of Republicans polled said abortion should be illegal under all circumstances, down from about 25% who said the same in 2020. Also, only 3% of Democrats and 7% of independents think abortion should be banned.
A new study shows there is also a slight gender gap. Gender hasn’t played a big role in determining support for abortion access for the past decade or so, Deckman said, but the PRRI has found a 4-point split between men and women in its latest numbers. It turned out that there was.
The poll found that 62% of men said abortion should be legal in most cases, while 66% of women said the same.
In particular, Republican women are now more likely than men of the same party to say abortion should be legal, 39% to 34% of Republican men, but Democrats are more likely than men to say abortion should be legal. There is no such difference between men and women.
Overall, the salience of abortion as a way to evaluate candidates is more common among Democrats who support abortion rights than among Republicans who oppose them, Deckman said. “And this is a change from when Law was still the law of the land.”
Half of Democrats who think abortion should be legal in all or most cases say they will only vote for a candidate who shares their views, compared with 25% who said the same in 2018. It is twice as much.
2024 election coverage
Among those who think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, 44% of Republicans say they would only vote for a candidate who shares their opinion, compared with 34% in 2018.
“This speaks to the importance of the role of abortion to the bases of both parties,” Deckman said. “This is really energizing their electoral calculations.”
The survey was conducted by PRRI between March 9 and December 7 of last year among 22,465 adults living in all 50 states. The national survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.82 percentage points.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
