New Pew poll shows gains in pro-life sentiment

(National Review) Today Pew Research released the results of a new poll on public attitudes on sanctity of life issues.

This poll, which surveyed over 8,500 people in late January, contains some good news for pro-lifers. The results show a gain in pro-life sentiment since the last Pew abortion poll in April 2024. Specifically, the percentage of Americans who think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases increased by two percentage points. Overall, over 76 percent of Americans think there should be some legal limits on abortion.

The demographic breakdown of the Pew poll was consistent with other large national surveys of abortion attitudes. Older Americans were more likely to oppose abortion than younger Americans. Also, people with more formal education were more likely to support legal abortion than those with less formal education. This recent Pew poll is one of several recent polls that shows a growing gender gap on sanctity of life issues since the mid 2010s — with women becoming more likely to support legal abortion.

The poll contained some interesting findings regarding opinions on chemical abortions.

Since 2024, there was a four percentage point increase in the percentage of Americans who felt that chemical abortions should be illegal. Forty-three percent of Republicans — a plurality — felt that chemical abortions should be illegal — an eleven percentage point gain since 2024. This shows that pro-life warnings about the health risks of chemical abortions — particularly telehealth abortions — have persuaded some Republicans and conservatives.

This Pew poll provides welcome news. Some recent polls, including the Knights of Columbus/Marist poll found that the pro-life position was losing ground in the court of public opinion. However, this poll shows that after a slight dip post-Dobbs, pro-life sentiment is rebounding — good news as pro-lifers continue the effort to build a culture of life.