More than two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a majority of Americans say abortion should be legal.

According to a Pew Research Center survey released Monday, 63% of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases — a 4% increase since 2022.

What You Need To Know

  • Sixty-three percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, according to a new Pew Research Center survey

  • Support is strongest among Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents

  • Fifty-four percent of those surveyed agree that the decision to have an abortion is solely up to the pregnant woman

  • Thirty-five percent say human life begins at conception, so an embryo is a person with rights

Conducted April 8-14 among 8,709 adults, the survey finds support for abortion is strongest among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 85% of whom say abortion should be legal in most or all cases.

Among Republicans and those who lean Republican, 41% say abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Among moderate and liberal Republicans, two-thirds say abortion should be legal.

The increased support for abortion rights began before the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Pew researchers noted that the divide between Democrats and Republicans on the issue has been widening over the past decade.

Since 2007, when 63% of Democrats and those who lean Democrat said abortion should be legal in all or most case and 39% of Republicans and those who lean Republican agreed, the split is now 85-41.

The researchers noted that the percentage of Americans who say abortion should be legal in all cases (25%) has remained consistent, as has the percentage of Americans who say it should be illegal in all cases (8%).

A slight majority of Americans (54%) say the decision to have an abortion is solely up to the pregnant woman. About a third (35%) in the survey agree that “human life begins at conception, so an embryo is a person with rights.” About a third of U.S. adults believe both statements are true: that embryos are people with rights and that pregnant women should be making abortion decisions.

Regardless of political party, a majority of survey respondents (58%) say it would be somewhat easy to get an abortion where they live, compared with 39% who say it would be difficult. More Democrats (48%) say it should be easier to get an abortion in the area where they live, compared with 15% of Republicans.

Respondents in states where abortion is not legal are almost three times more likely to say it would be difficult to obtain an abortion where they live.

While a majority of Americans (54%) say medication abortion should be legal and 20% say it should be illegal, 25% are not sure. Republicans are closely divided on the issue, with 37% saying it should be legal, 32% saying it should be illegal and 30% unsure.

Support for legal abortion is highest among Blacks (73%) and Asians (76%) and among adults under the age of 30 (76%).