• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Lifeway Research

Lifeway Research

Enlightening today’s church with relevant research and insights

  • Research
  • Insights
  • Resource Library
  • Fast Facts
  • Search

Generations Divide Over Abortion Rights

Uncategorized | Apr 23, 2018

PRRI abortion pro-life research
Murphy4747 photo | Flickr via Compfight cc

By Carol Pipes

A new survey from Public Religion Research Institute shows a widening generational divide on reproductive health issues and abortion, with one-quarter of young people ages 18 to 29 saying they’ve grown more supportive of abortion rights over the past few years.

Researchers found one-third of young Americans today say their views on abortion have changed in recent years.

Nearly three times as many young Americans say they have become more supportive of abortion rights rather than more opposed (25 percent vs. 9 percent), according to PRRI.

In contrast, seniors (age 65 and up) are twice as likely to say they have become more opposed to abortion rights (12 percent) than more supportive (6 percent).

These trends translate to significant generational gaps:

  • Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of young people, compared to 51 percent of seniors, agree that abortion should be legal in most or all cases.
  • Nearly 7 in 10 (69 percent) young people, compared to 46 percent of seniors, agree that at least some healthcare professionals in their community should provide legal abortions.

PRRI also found a complex relationship between Americans’ support of abortion rights and their personal beliefs about abortion.

While a majority of Americans (54 percent) agree abortion should be legal in all or most cases, a majority (54 percent) also say that “abortion goes against my personal beliefs.”

More than one-third (34 percent) of Americans who say abortion is at odds with their personal beliefs still believe it should be legal in most or all cases. Only 19 percent of those who are personally opposed to abortion say it should be illegal in all cases.

See also  7 Ways Your Church Can Lead in a Post-Roe World

More than 4 in 10 (44 percent) Americans disagree, saying abortion does not conflict with their personal beliefs.

Again, PRRI found differences between older and younger generations. Just 44 percent of young Americans say abortion goes against their personal beliefs, compared to 60 percent of Americans over 65.

The study also found little change in public views on the legality of abortion over the last decade. In 2008, 57 percent of Americans said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 36 percent said it should be illegal in all or most cases.

In 2018, 54 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 43 percent say it should be illegal in all or most cases.

Related:

  • Five Practical Ways to be a Pro-Life Champion in Your Church
  • Seven Facts About Abortion in America
  • Mississippi Approves Most Pro-Life Bill in U.S.
  • Supreme Court to Hear Case on Pro-Life Speech

CAROL PIPES (@CarolPipes) is editor in chief of Facts & Trends.

Related posts:

Most Open to Spiritual Conversations, Few Christians Speaking Men Play Significant Role in Decisions Surrounding Unplanned Pregnancies 7 in 10 Women Who Have Had an Abortion Identify as a Christian The Pandemic Changed Abortion in the U.S., Churches Must Respond

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us On…

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Popular

  • Most Popular Sermon Passages, Topics in 2021
  • 13 Things a Pastor Should Never Say to a Congregation
    pulpit sermon
  • 7 Reasons to Praise the Lord
    praise
  • Why Christians Must Do More Than Just “Be the Church”

Join the Lifeway Research Newsletter

Lifeway Research: Enlightening Today’s Church with Relevant Insights.

Signup for email updates on our church and culture research.

Sign Up

Leader Resources

Bible
Clip Art
Classics
Clip Art
Current Events
Clip Art
Discipleship
Clip Art
Pastoral Ministy
Clip Art
Theology
Clip Art
VIEW ALL RESOURCES
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Custom Research
  • Resource Library
  • Search

Copyright © 2022 · Lifeway Research, a ministry of Lifeway Christian Resources