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Discussions: Pro-Life | Pro-Choice | "Stuck in the Middle"

The poll posed the following questions to a random sampling of Americans about their views on abortion.

What Influences Your Abortion Views?
Question: What's had the most influence on your opinion on the issue of abortion--the opinions of your family and friends, things you've seen or read in the news, your education, your personal experience, your religious beliefs, your personal non-religious beliefs, or something else?

Chief Factors in Views on Abortion
	Among Supporters	Among Opponents
Religious beliefs	9%	50%

Personal non-religious beliefs	35%	19%

Education	22%	9%

Personal experience	10%	8%

Things read/seen in the news	8%	3%

Opinions of family and friends	4%	4%

Something else	13%	6%
Source: ABCNews/Beliefnet Poll

Main Factor in Your Views on Abortion
	Religious Beliefs	Other Mention
All adults	27%	73%

Evangelical white Protestants	39%	61%

Catholics	28%	72%

Non-evangelical white Protestants	16%	84%
Source: ABCNews/Beliefnet Poll
(Sample size of Black Americans too small for statistical accuracy)

Your Thoughts on Legality
Question: Do you think abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases, or illegal in all cases?

Abortions Should Be ...
	All / mostly legal	All / mostly illegal
All adults	52%	43%

Evangelical white Protestants	34%	63%

Catholics	55%	43%

Non-evangelical white Protestants	66%	33%
Source: ABCNews/Beliefnet Poll
(Sample size of Black Americans too small for statistical accuracy)

Abortions Should Be ...
	Legal, All Cases	Legal, Most Cases	Illegal, Most Cases	Illegal, All Cases
All adults	22%	31%	23%	20%

Evangelical white Protestants	13%	21%	28%	35%

Catholics	25%	30%	25%	19%

Non-evangelical white Protestants	25%	42%	22%	11%
Source: ABCNews/Beliefnet Poll
(Sample size of Black Americans too small for statistical accuracy)

Recent Results

This ABCNews/Beliefnet poll was conducted by telephone June 20-24, 2001, among a random sample of 1,022 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Field work by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa.