Americans Strongly Opposed to Taxpayer Funding of Abortion

Opposition by nearly 7 in 10 Americans, including women and millennials

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Jan 22, 2015, 11:51 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly seven in 10 Americans — including millennials (aged 18-32) and women — are opposed to taxpayer funding of abortion. The findings are detailed in this year's Knights of Columbus-Marist poll released in advance of the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Americans oppose such funding by a margin of 68 percent to 28 percent, with millennials opposing it by 71 percent to 28 percent. There is no difference in opinions on the issue between women and men. Women oppose taxpayer funding of abortion 69 percent to 28 percent, while men oppose it at a rate of 69 percent to 30 percent. Among both men and women, fewer than one in 10 "strongly support" such funding.

"Given that most Americans believe abortion is morally wrong and support conscience exemptions for abortion, it is hardly surprising that they don't want their tax dollars used for this purpose," said Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson. "By a wide margin, young and old, and men and women, all see this issue clearly. With nearly seven in 10 of their constituents opposed to taxpayer funding of abortion, America's elected officials should act to make this a reality."

The data on attitudes toward taxpayer funding of abortion was contained in a larger survey on Americans' attitudes toward abortion that was released yesterday. The survey found that more than eight in 10 Americans (84 percent) would limit abortion to — at most — the first three months of pregnancy.

It also found that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans think there are too many abortions, and that six in 10 (60 percent) believe abortion is morally wrong. Nearly the same number (59 percent) also believe abortion ultimately does a woman more harm than good. And by 20 points (57 to 37 percent), Americans believe health care providers and organizations should have the right to opt out of performing or referring for abortions.

The survey of 2,079 adults was conducted Jan. 7 through Jan. 13 by the Marist Poll and sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the continental United States were interviewed by telephone using live interviewers. Results are statistically significant within +/- 2.1 percentage points. The error margin increases for cross-tabulations.

For more details about the survey results and methodology, visit www.kofc.org/polls.

SOURCE Knights of Columbus