These are the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between June 27–28, 2022 on behalf of The COMS Project and the National Women’s Law Center. For this survey, a sample of 1,005 adults age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii was interviewed online in English. The poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points for all respondents. This memorandum presents the key findings of the research.

1. Around six in ten Americans agree that lawmakers who want to ban abortion are “out of touch” and “extreme,” with even stronger agreement among Democrats, Blacks, and Asians.

On Friday the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which established the legal right to abortion. Decisions about legal abortion now will be in the hands of elected officials. Some lawmakers support access to legal abortion and others want to ban abortion. Below are how some people are describing lawmakers who want to ban abortion. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the description of lawmakers who want to ban abortion.

Chart showing the percent of people who agree that lawmakers who want to ban abortion are "out of touch" (60% total, 79% Democrats, 59% Independents, 42% Republicans, 58% white, 69% Black, 57% Hispanic); "extreme" (58% total, 75% Democrats, 58% Independents, 42% Republicans, 56% white, 64% Black, 61% Hispanic); "hateful" (48% total, 70% Democrats, 47% Independents, 27% Republicans, 45% white, 55% Black, 51% Hispanic); "principled" (39% total, 21% Democrats, 39% Independents, 62% Republicans, 38% white, 35% Black, 46% Hispanic); "strong" (39% total, 26% Democrats, 36% Independents, 57% Republicans, 37% white, 30% Black, 48% Hispanic); "in touch" (32% total, 20% Democrats, 32% Independents, 48% Republicans, 32% white, 27% Black, 37% Hispanic)

2. When describing what lawmakers who want to ban abortion are doing, the most powerful descriptions include taking away personal medical decisions, controlling, and forcing women to remain pregnant against their will.

  • Two out of three (66%, 47% strongly) agree with the statement that lawmakers who want to ban abortion “are taking away your personal medical decisions and your control of your body and life path.” This includes 86% of Democrats, 67% of Independents, and 44% of Republicans. This statement also sees strong agreement across race, including 64% of white Americans, 73% of Blacks, and 69% of Hispanics.
  • Two-thirds (64%, 46% strongly) agree with the statement that lawmakers who want to ban abortion “are forcing women to remain pregnant against their will,” including 84% of Democrats, 64% of Independents, and 43% of Republicans.

3. When asked about reasons to keep abortion legal, there was strong agreement, including agreement across party lines, with the freedom to make personal decisions without political interference, having control of our future, and control over economic security.

Below are some reasons people give for keeping abortion legal. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each statement.

Chart showing the percent of people who agree with the statements: "We are a free society where we should have control over our own future. Extremist politicians and judges should not control our future." (74% total, 87% Democrat, 76% Independent, 61% Republican, 74% white, 72% Black, 75% Hispanic); "We must hold on to our freedom to make personal decisions without interference from politicians who want to control our bodies and lives." (72% total, 887% Democrat, 69% Independent, 60% Republican, 71% white, 70% Black, 75% Hispanic); "When people can make decisions about whether and when to become a parent, they have more control over their economic security." (72% total, 86% Democrat, 69% Independent, 62% Republican, 71% white, 72% Black, 73% Hispanic)

4. When asked about harmful consequences of making abortion illegal, the strongest agreement was that those seeking abortions would be forced to travel out of state. Other consequences that received strong agreement included the harm to those who already face unequal access to healthcare and the economic impact.

  • Three in four Americans (74%, 48% strongly) agreed that “some of those seeking abortion won’t be able get the care they want in their communities and must travel out of state for care.”
  • Three in five (60%, 41% strongly) agreed that it will “harm people who already face unequal access to health care, especially people of color.”
  • Similarly, three in five (60%, 40% strongly) agreed that “making abortion illegal threatens women’s economic security and pushes families into poverty.”