A majority of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a Pew Research Center survey released March 12.
The survey of 8,512 U.S. adults was conducted Jan. 20–26 and examined views on abortion legality, access and medication abortion.
About 60% of respondents said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 38% said it should be illegal in all or most cases. The share supporting legal abortion declined slightly from 63% in 2024.
Public views on abortion access varied by location. About 51% of adults said it would be easy to obtain an abortion where they live, while 45% said it would be difficult.
Perceptions that abortion is difficult to obtain have increased in recent years. In 2024, 39% of adults said it would be difficult, compared with 32% in 2019.
Opinions also differed sharply by political affiliation. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 84% said abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 36% said the same.
Views on medication abortion showed similar divisions. Overall, 55% of adults said medication abortion should be legal in their state, while 26% said it should be illegal and 18% said they were unsure.
Democrats overwhelmingly supported legal medication abortion, with 76% saying it should be legal. Among Republicans, 35% said it should be legal while 43% said it should be illegal.
The survey also found differences by gender. Nearly two-thirds of women, 64%, said abortion should be legal in all or most cases compared with 55% of men.
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