Abortion Attitudes: The difficulties of simple questions about complex issues

Abstract

The recent Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson resulted in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right of a pregnant person to choose to have an abortion until fetal viability (i.e., until about 24 weeks). Although this ruling marks a significant shift in abortion policy and climate in the U.S., the vast majority of polls measuring abortion attitudes show that there has been little change in attitudes since the 1970s. What does that mean about the relationship between policy and public opinion and how we measure abortion attitudes?

In this workshop, we will provide an overview of abortion as a contentious social issue, historical trends of abortion attitudes, and the implications of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision. Next, we will share an overview of our project: Developing and Assessing Measures for Social Surveys (DAMSS). Then we will present some of our preliminary findings and discuss what makes a “good” question actually a “bad” question? We will conclude with what these preliminary findings mean for how we assess abortion attitudes and what the DAMSS project will be doing next.

No previous experience with abortion attitudes is needed. Although the focus of this presentation will be abortion attitudes, the findings and methodology have relevance for other social issues.