WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Look for a six-article series to start Monday on Gallup.com, documenting Americans' latest views on abortion, including deep dives into gender and generational trends. The latest findings are based on Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll, conducted May 1-10. The 2018 survey marks the 20th consecutive year in which this survey has measured abortion attitudes -- building upon related Gallup trends that extend back to the 1970s.
While Americans' views on many social issues, including gay rights, pornography and teen sex, have been growing more liberal, the 2018 survey results confirm that abortion continues to be an exception to the trend, with generally stable attitudes. Americans remain closely divided on the issue, with equal percentages calling themselves pro-choice and pro-life.
Over the next two weeks, the Gallup series will address the following abortion topics:
- Americans' general views about the morality and legality of abortion, including where they stand on making abortion totally legal, totally illegal or legal in some circumstances
- how Americans feel about different reasons for obtaining an abortion and whether gestational age in trimesters affects those opinions
- how gender factors into attitudes on abortion
- generational patterns in abortion views over the years
- the latest favorability rating of Planned Parenthood, the group now in the crosshairs of Trump administration policies on abortion
- from the Gallup Vault, a look back at a story making news on abortion in 1962 -- the first year Gallup polled on abortion
