Abortion

Large majorities of Americans with postgraduate education as well as non-Christians continue to identify as "pro-choice" rather than "pro-life" on abortion, even as Americans' overall support for the pro-choice position has declined.

The 41% of Americans who identify themselves as "pro-choice" is down from 47% last July and is one point below the previous record low. Fifty percent now call themselves "pro-life." But a majority still says abortion should be legal.

"Pro-choice" and "pro-life" Americans tend to back abortions needed to protect women's vital health and to support certain notification policies, and oppose late-term abortions. The two groups disagree most sharply about abortions in the first trimester, for financial reasons, and when the baby would be born impaired.

Large majorities of Americans favor the broad intent of several types of abortion restriction laws that are now common in many states, but have mixed or negative reactions to others. The majority of Republicans are in favor of all seven restrictions tested.

Roughly two-thirds of Republicans across most major gender, age, educational, and income lines describe themselves as "pro-life," while about a quarter call themselves "pro-choice." By contrast, Democrats' support for the "pro-choice" label rises sharply with education and income.

Doctor-assisted suicide is the most controversial of 17 cultural issues Gallup tested this year, with Americans divided 45% vs. 48% over its moral acceptability. Many also disagree about whether abortion and out-of-wedlock births are morally right or wrong. More than 9 in 10 say extramarital affairs are wrong.

Americans are closely divided in their abortion positions, with 49% calling themselves "pro-choice" and 45% "pro-life," similar to a year ago. Public support for making abortion legal in either all cases or no cases is much lower, at 27% and 22%, respectively, while 50% favor something in between.

Americans hold similar moral judgments on 12 of 16 cultural matters that sometimes fuel debate in the country. By contrast, doctor-assisted suicide is highly controversial, as are gay relations, abortion, and having children out of wedlock.

The percentage of Americans now calling themselves "pro-life" remains at least comparable to the percentage calling themselves "pro-choice," if not higher, as has been the case since 2009. This contrasts with the pattern from 1995 through 2008 when more Americans typically embraced the "pro-choice" label.

Educational achievement is much more important than gender in determining support for broadly legal abortion, with college-educated adults -- and especially college-educated women -- the most supportive.