Jamie Ballard
July 18, 2025
About three years after the Supreme Court decision reversing Roe v. Wade — which had established the federal constitutional right to abortion before being overturned — a new YouGov survey finds that an increasing number of Americans believe abortion should always be legal. Around half believe that the decision caused the number of pregnant women denied care during an emergency to increase.
The share of Americans who believe abortion should always be legal and there should be no restrictions on it has increased since August 2024, to 32% from 27%. Among Democrats, 59% believe abortion should always be legal, up from 48% last August. The share of Independents who say abortion should always be legal has increased to 33% from 22%. (Other YouGov polling has found that over a longer time period, views on this question have been mostly stable.)