A new Gallup poll revealed that abortion is becoming an increasingly partisan issue in the United States. According to the poll, only half as many Republicans consider themselves pro-choice in 2026 compared to 2006. In 2006, 34% of Republicans were pro-choice. That number has since fallen to 17%.
Democrats, however, increasingly support abortion. In 2006, 62% supported abortion. That number is now 81%.
Almost half of all Americans (48%) would prefer abortion to be legal in all or most circumstances, Gallup found. 49% of Americans would prefer abortion to be entirely illegal or legal in only a few circumstances.
“Large partisan differences remain, with 75% of Democrats versus 15% of Republicans saying abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances,” Gallup noted. “Independents’ views fall in the middle, with 48% favoring broad legality.”
Discussing the morality of abortion, the poll discovered that 49% of Americans believe that it is morally acceptable, whereas 41% believe it is morally wrong. Eight percent of Americans believe the morality of abortion depends on the situation. “In 2021, the year before the Dobbs decision, Americans were narrowly split on the moral acceptability of abortion, with 46% saying it is morally wrong and 47% morally acceptable,” Gallup wrote. “Since 2022, at least a plurality of Americans have consistently reported that abortion is morally acceptable.”
A separate Gallup poll found that traditional values are rising in the United States as the moral acceptability of several behaviors is on the decline. That poll also concluded that 49% of U.S. adults still say abortion is morally acceptable.
Other behaviors that many Americans deem as being morally acceptable include divorce (74%), sex between unmarried people (65%), gay or lesbian relationships (62%), medical research using stem cells from human embryos (59%), purchasing clothes made of animal fur (57%), and the death penalty (52%).
