Public Knowledge of the Dobbs Decision and Its Reflection on Abortion Attitudes

• In Event: Variations in Abortion Access and Perception

Abstract

Research Objective
Abortion has been a highly debated policy issue within the United States for decades, with considerable conflict over whether federal or state governments should decide the legality of abortion. Following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, further divisions have arisen, with power given back to state governments in deciding the legality of abortion, and many states now banning and or severely limiting access to abortions with no exceptions. While emerging work has started to investigate new state policies and their health consequences, little is known about how public attitudes towards abortion and its permissiveness changed as a direct result of the Dobbs decision. Relying on a unique survey on abortion permissiveness attitudes conducted the day of the Dobbs decision, this study tracks the impact of Dobbs awareness on abortion attitudes.
Study Design
Utilizing a nationally representative Lucid survey of 5,482 Americans weighted to U.S. population benchmarks conducted on June 24, 2022, we investigate the impact of the Dobbs decision on attitudes towards abortion permissiveness. To capture abortion permissiveness (our outcome measure), we rely on a series of individual survey items and an index reflecting public attitudes about whether abortion should be legal under difference circumstances. To capture Dobbs knowledge, our survey included a specific item asking individuals whether Roe v. Wade had been overruled (after it had). Our survey also asked a wide variety of demographic and political questions used as variables that could alternatively explain attitudes towards abortion.
Population Studied
5,482 adults aged 18 years or older.
Principal Findings
Of the seven scenarios under which individuals were asked whether abortion should be permitted, five had significantly greater odds of permissiveness when the individual was aware of the Dobbs decision (p<0.05). These scenarios included abortion when: the woman is not married (OR=1.31; CI: 1.09-1.57); if there is a strong chance of serious defect in the baby (OR=1.43; CI: 1.18-1.74); if the woman’s own health is seriously endangered by the pregnancy (OR=1.78; CI:1.42-2.23); if the woman is pregnant as a result of rape (OR=1.88; CI:1.52-2.32); or if the woman wants any abortion for any reason (OR=1.34; CI:1.12-1.61). In addition, moderately greater odds of permissiveness (p=0.082) were determined for when the woman is married and does not want any more children (OR=1.17; CI: 0.98-1.40).
Conclusions
In the immediate aftermath of the Supreme court’s decision in the Dobbs case, individuals who learned of the court’s decision became more supportive of abortion, controlling for gender, partisan affiliation, and other factors traditionally associated with abortion attitudes.
Implications for Policy or Practice
With states now in charge of setting abortion rules for their citizens, it is vital to understand public perspectives on the topic. Our findings suggest that a growing number of Americans believe that abortion should be permitted in a variety of circumstances. Furthermore, our findings provide important evidence of how attitudes towards even the most controversial health policies can change in the face of potential policy retrenchment.

Authors

• Aakriti Shrestha, Texas A&M University

• Alva Ferdinand, Texas A&M University School of Public Health

• Matt Motta, Boston University School of Public Health

• Alee Lockman, Texas A&M School of Public Health

• Kristin Kay Lunz Trujillo, Boston College

• Timothy Herbert Callaghan, Boston University