Support for abortion rights hits new high as midterm outlook is grim for Democrats
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Following the leak of the Supreme Court opinion that suggested the possibility to overturn Roe v. Wade’s abortion rights decision in Washington State, U.S.A, May 14, 2022, Abortion Rights Campaigners participated in a demonstration.
Amira Karaoud – Reuters| Reuters
WASHINGTON — Support for abortion rights has reached a record high, and nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a new national NBC News poll conducted after the leak of a draft opinion that would strike down the constitutional right to abortion.
A survey found that abortions are rising in the United States. list of issues that Americans believe are the most important, and that Democratic interest in the upcoming midterms has increased since earlier this year.
But the poll also found that this Supreme Court draft opinion hasn’t substantially altered the overall political environment heading into November’s elections — with inflation and the economy remaining the public’s top issues, President Joe Biden’s job rating falling below 40 percent and a whopping 75 percent of Americans saying the country is headed in the wrong direction.
This is the fourth consecutive NBC News poll that has a wrong-track percentage higher than 70%, and it’s also the fifth poll in its 34-year-old history where the wrong track number was higher than 75 percent.
Other times included 2008, during the Great Recession and 2013.
According to Republican pollster Bill McInturff, Public Opinion Strategies’ pollster who conducted the survey together with Jeff Horwitt from Hart Research Associates, “It is like a flashing light when you see numbers such as this.”
McInturff stated, “Americans are telling me this is as terrible as 2008.”
These numbers show that Democrats remain tied with Republicans when it comes to the question about which party should control Congress.
Horwitt, a Democratic pollster, stated that “it is amazing that preference for Congress control is equal overall and that there has been a narrowing of interest in the election.”
Six out of 10 people believe that abortion should be legal
According to the poll, a combined 60 percent of Americans say abortion should be either always legal (37 percent) or legal most of the time (23 percent) — the highest share believing it should be legal on this question, which dates back to 2003.
However, 37% say that abortion should be made illegal with no exceptions (32%) and without exceptions (5%)
Party-wise, 84% of Democrats are Democrats while 63 percent are Republicans. A majority of independents support abortion being legalized, as opposed to just 33% of Republicans.
A further 63 percent opposed the Supreme Court’s decision in 1973 Roe V. Wade, which established a woman’s constitutional right of abortion within the first three month of her pregnancy.
A third of respondents would vote in support for the court to reverse the decision.
Last time this question was asked, 71 per cent said no to Roe V. Wade repealing. 23 percent responded that they support it.
And a majority of registered voters — 52 percent — say they are less likely to vote for a candidate who supports the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade; 26 percent say they are more likely to vote for this candidate.
Biden’s job satisfaction drops to 39%
A NBC News survey also found that 39% of Americans approve of President Biden’s work as president. Only 56% disapprove.
While Biden’s approval rating is essentially unchanged from March’s poll — when it was at 40 percent — the new number represents the lowest mark of his presidency.
33% of Americans disapprove of Biden’s economic management (unchanged since March), 41% approve of Biden’s handling the conflict between Russia and Ukraine (also unchanged), and 59% approve of President Obama’s handling the coronavirus pandemic, up 8 points.
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