Rasmussen recently conducted a nationwide survey on attitudes toward abortion. It found that 43 percent of Americans identify as “pro-life.” While this may seem somewhat low, Rasmussen polls consistently report lower pro-life sentiment than Gallup polls. Additionally, the poll found that public support for a waiting period before an abortion reached its highest level in over two years. Overall, a clear plurality of Americans – 49 percent – support waiting periods. To its credit, Rasmussen always asks about waiting periods when it conducts surveys on abortion. Most other polling firms, including Gallup, only rarely ask about incremental pro-life laws.
As such, this poll adds to a broad body of survey data which shows that incremental pro-life laws enjoy broad public support. It also adds body of research which shows that there is no significant gender gap when it comes to attitudes regarding abortion. Women are more slightly more likely to describe themselves as “pro-choice” However, the attitudes of men and women toward the morality of abortion are nearly identical. Additionally, the ratio of women who say it is “too easy” rather than “too hard” to get an abortion is nearly 2 to 1. Furthermore, a clear plurality of women support waiting periods before an abortion. As such, when analyzing the gender gap, political analysts, would do well to consider other factors besides abortion.