Vast Majority of Americans Oppose Overturning Roe v. Wade, Only White Evangelicals Support Bans

America has always been torn about the issue of abortion, but the percentage of individuals who support the right of a woman to end her pregnancy has slowly increased over time.

According to a recent NBC News poll, a combined 60% of Americans say abortion should always be legal [37%] or legal most of the time [23%]. That number has increased substantially over the last decade.

The NBC poll found that only 37% believe abortion should be illegal with exceptions [32%] or without exceptions [5%]. That number dropped 10% since a similar NBC poll in 2013.

As you might expect, there is a yawning gap between Republicans versus Democrats and independents on the issue. 84% of Democrats and 63% of independents support abortion rights compared to just 33% of Republicans. Much of that difference has to do with the views of white evangelical Protestants.

In March, PRRI research found that a broad majority of Americans oppose overturning Roe v. Wade [61%] with just 36% supporting it. The PRRI study also found that most religious groups believe abortion should remain legal except for white evangelical Protestants, 69% of whom said it should be outlawed in most or all cases.

PRRI.org: "Among Christians, white evangelical Protestants remain the substantial outliers with 30% saying abortion should be legal in most or all cases, compared to 73% among Black Protestants, 70% among white mainline (non-evangelical) Protestants, 59% among white Catholics, 57% among Hispanic Catholics, and even 52% among Hispanic Protestants. Among those who follow non-Christian religions, 80% say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 85% of those who are religiously unaffiliated agree."

The Pew research organization also released survey results regarding abortion this month. Their results were quite similar to NBC's and PRRI's, but they also broke out responses by age and there is a substantial gap developing on the issue, one that may soften Republican opposition in the future.

Pew Research: "74% of Americans younger than 30 say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, up from 67% last year. That share falls to 62% among those ages 30 to 49, 55% among those 50 to 64, and 54% among those ages 65 and older."

"In both partisan groups, younger Americans are more likely to support legal abortion, but the pattern is particularly pronounced among Republicans. Nearly half of Republicans younger than 30 say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases (47%). This compares with only about a third of Republicans ages 50 and older."

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By: Don Lam & Curated Content