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Majority of Americans Believe Roe Should Not Be Overturned

A new public opinion poll released by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday found that the majority of Americans believe that the historic Supreme Court case that legalized abortion, Roe v.Wade, should not be overturned.

The poll conducted [PDF] between January 9th and January 13th of 2013, found that 63% of those interviewed believed that Roe v. Wade should not be completely overturned compared to 29% who favored overturning the ruling. Support for Roe v.Wade was highest among adults 50 – 64 years of age (69%) and those 18 – 29 years of age (68%). Pew Research Center also found that the majority of white mainline Protestants, black Protestants, and white Catholics believed that Roe v.Wade should not be overturned (76%, 65%, and 63% respectively).

The findings released on Wednesday show little change in public opinion from similar surveys conducted by Pew in 2003 and 1992. Michael Dimock, director of the Pew Research Council, remarked that the lack of change is “kind of interesting, because a lot of other social issues have changed a lot – gay marriage being the most notable example.” Tarek Rizek, the communications director for NARAL, was not concerned about the lack of change. “This poll is a reminder that the public clearly agrees, and has done so for decades,” she told Reuters.

The poll interviewed a national sample of 1,502 adults over the age of 18 and has a margin of error of +/- 2.9%.

Sources:

LA Times 1/16/2013; Pew Research Center 1/16/2013; Reuters 1/16/2013; Washington Post 1/16/2013

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