Three-in-10 U.S. adults want to see less strict abortion laws enacted, according to a Gallup report published Jan. 20.
This is the highest percentage of adults wanting less strict laws in polling history – 13 points above the 2021 survey results and eight points above the previous high in 2020.
By comparison, 24% say they are satisfied with current laws (nine points below 2021 and the lowest level in polling history) and 22% say that they want more strict laws (five points lower than last year and one point higher than the all-time low in 2019).
For the first time since polling began in 2001, more respondents said they want less strict laws than those who want either more strict laws or are content with current laws.
“Americans grew more dissatisfied with the strictness of abortion laws in the nation during the Trump presidency, likely reflecting concerns about the increasingly conservative Supreme Court as well as a host of abortion restrictions that were adopted at the state level in those years,” the report said. “After a dip in concern in 2021, that discontent has surged again in 2022.”
Catholics (28%) were more likely than “nones” (26%) or Protestants (21%) to say they are satisfied with current laws, nones (47%) were more likely than Protestants (25%) or Catholics (22%) to desire less strict laws, and Protestants (30%) were more likely than Catholics (21%) or nones (10%) to want more strict laws.
The full report is available here. The topline results, noting a plus-or-minus 4% margin of error, are available here.
Managing editor for news and opinion at Good Faith Media.
