For 15 years, the Gallup Poll has asked Americans whether they consider themselves to be “pro-life” or “pro-choice” As recent as last year, only forty-four percent of those polled identified themselves as “pro-life.”
Gallup Poll Figures Same as Other Polls
In an NPR interview, Editor-in-chief of the Gallup Poll, Frank Newport called the rise a “significant shift.” The figures appeared not only in the Gallup poll conducted May 7-10, but also in a second poll, as well as polls conducted by the Pew Forum, Fox News and The Polling Company.
Findings showed that Americans remain divided regarding abortion’s legality. Twenty-three percent indicated that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, with twenty-two percent countering that abortion should be legal in all cases. Fifty-three percent said that abortion should be legal only in certain instances.
A recent national poll done by the Pew Research Center mirrored Gallup results, reporting a sharp decline since August of 2008 in the number of persons in favor of abortion being legal in all or most cases. The numbers were down to 46 percent from a previous 54 percent, according to MSNBC.
Poll Results a Reaction to Democratic President
The NPR interview also included Democratic Strategist Celinda Lake echoed others by saying that the Democratic President was a factor in poll results, which tended to be “due to the polarization of Republicans.” Lake noted there had also been a shift on the issue of gun control. Republicans may be adopting a more conservative stance while Democrats and Independents demonstrate complacency in thinking they “don’t have to worry” because the President is pro-choice in what she referred to as “the most pro-choice election ever,” saying that Americans were “voting in a pro-choice direction.”
While Americans’ feelings fluctuate in response to the political climate, Lake said that “pro-choice” and “pro-life” are loose labels, ones which some don’t know the meaning of. Lake also said that “people didn’t know which choice they were talking about.” Planned Parenthood referred to a recent survey by CNN/Opinion Research Corp. in April, reporting 49% as being pro-choice and only 45% as pro-life.
Religion's Impact on the Gallup Poll
The Gallup poll showed the increase in the pro-life position spanning Christian denominations. Protestants showed an eight-point gain while a seven-point gain was noted among Catholics. It also reported a 10-point shift toward the pro-life category among Republicans, but said there was no significant change among Democrats.
According to LifeNews.Com, a Rasmussen Reports survey released May 5 found that 58 percent of Americans say that abortion is morally wrong most of the time, as well as noting a seven percent increase in the number of Americans who say abortions are too easy to obtain. In addition, The Polling Company results indicated that Americans do not want President Obama to appoint a pro-abortion activist to the Supreme Court upon the impending retirement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
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