Public Opinion on Abortion

January 2013

Nearly two-thirds of white evangelical Protestants and Mormons think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, as do about half (53%) of Hispanic Catholics.

By contrast, nearly nine-in-ten Jews say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, as do about seven-in-ten Americans with no religious affiliation and 63% of white mainline Protestants. Among both black Protestants and white Catholics, 54% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Views by Religious Affiliation, 2011-2012

Source: Aggregated data from Pew Research Center surveys conducted in 2011 and 2012.
Question wording can be found here (PDF), and information on the
Pew Research Center's polling methodology can be found here.

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