Denver, Colo., Jun 4, 2019 / 03:00 am
A narrow majority of Americans now consider abortion "morally unacceptable," while less than 10% disapprove of birth control, a new Gallup Poll has found.
Fifty percent of the survey respondents disapproved of abortion, with 42% approving, though the poll has a margin of error of four percentage points. A year ago, Gallup found that an equal split among Americans- 48% each- identified as "pro-life" and "pro-choice."
The survey, released late last month, tracks changes in public attitude over time toward a range of social and moral issues. The latest figures are from May 2019 and are based on telephone interviews with a random sample of just over 1,000 U.S. adults.
The highest proportion of disapproval for abortion that Gallup has measured is 56%, recorded in 2009. That year just 36% of respondents considered abortion morally acceptable.
At the same time, however, approval of sexual relations between an unmarried man and woman edged up two points since last year to 71%, which is the highest approval rating Gallup has yet recorded on that issue. Approval for divorce is also at an all-time high, at 77%.