Neary half (46%) of all U.S. adults say they are dissatisfied with the nation’s abortion laws and want less strict regulations, according to a Gallup report published February 10.

This is the highest percentage in polling history, a 16-point increase from 2022 and a 29-point increase since 2021.

By comparison, 26% are satisfied with current laws (up two points from 2022) and 15% are dissatisfied and want stricter laws (down seven points).

From 2001 to 2013, responses were mostly stable, with between 39% and 48% expressing satisfaction with current abortion laws, between 23% to 28% expressing a desire for stricter laws, and between 8% and 13% wanting less strict laws.

Since 2013, the percent of adults satisfied with abortion laws has declined by 18 points, with those wanting less strict laws increasing by 38 points. Adults wanting stricter laws remained largely unchanged from 2001 to 2021, before declining 12 points over the past two years.

Democrats (74%) were more likely than Independents (44%) or Republicans (17%) to desire more strict abortion laws. However, all three parties have seen an increase in support for less strict laws since 2021: Democrats (up 46 points), Independents (up 27 points) and Republicans (up 15 points).

Half of U.S. women (50%) and around four-in-10 U.S. men (41%) want less strict laws, up 18 points and 13 points, respectively, since last year.

“For the first time in Gallup’s trend, pluralities of Catholic (38%) and Protestant (37%) Americans and a majority of those with no religious identity (69%) express dissatisfaction with abortion policies and a preference for less strict laws,” the report said.

Catholics desiring less strict laws rose 16 points, Protestants increased 12 points, and those with no religious affiliation rose 22 points from 2022 to 2023.

The full report is available here. The topline results, noting a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points, are available here.

Share This