While Republican lawmakers across the country work to enact abortion restrictions in the wake of the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade, a new poll found that Americans aren't at all confident in their elected officials' knowledge of the subject.
According to a new poll by The 19th, a news outlet focused on gender and politics, and SurveyMonkey, 7 in 10 Americans don't think politicians "are informed enough" about abortion to "create fair policies." The survey found that this view was shared by majorities of both Democrats and Republicans.
A 61% majority said they think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, versus 35% who said they think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.
As the midterm election races head into the final stretch, the polling provides insight for an issue that's become central to both parties. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe at the end of June, it sent the question of abortion back to the states to decide, triggering abortion bans in a number of states and stoking enthusiasm for the midterms among Democrats and women.
In the weeks since the high court's ruling, surveys have shown that abortion has become a key issue for voters and has somewhat boosted the Democrats' chances in November.
The poll also reveals widespread confusion about what the fall of Roe means for abortion policy in the long run.
While 44% of survey respondents think abortion will become less accessible in their lifetime, 22% think it will become more accessible. Women are more doubtful that abortion access could expand, with 48% saying they think it will be more difficult to access, versus the 40% of men who thought the same.
A negative outlook about government colored the results in general. Just 4 in 10 U.S. adults said America's democracy is "working well for them." Democrats and Republicans were separated by a 25-percentage point gap on the question, with 53% of Democrats agreeing with the statement and 28% of Republicans.
Partisan voting enthusiasm was essentially tied: 73% of Republicans and 72% of Democrats reported being excited to vote in the November election. Polling throughout the summer showed Democrats closing the enthusiasm gap after the Supreme Court struck down Roe.
Voters were also neck and neck when it came to preferred political environment, with 39% of those surveyed saying they favor electing Democrats to Congress and 38% saying they favor Republicans.
The economy and "preserving democracy" were equally ranked as top motivating issues for voters, trailed by "America's place in the world" and abortion. Voters under 35 said abortion was their main motivation for voting this midterm cycle.
The poll was conducted online Aug. 22-29 and surveyed more than 20,000 Americans in both English and Spanish. The margin of error is plus or minus 1 percentage point.
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