Americans more ‘dissatisfied’ with abortion policy since Dobbs

It’s been a year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and polling suggests Americans’ views on abortion have shifted among some groups but remain unchanged for others.

Since the SCOTUS ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 14 states have banned most abortions. Now, more residents in those states think it should be easier to get an abortion, according to a recent Pew Research survey. The percentage who said so jumped from 31% in 2019 to 43% in April.

But the same poll found 80% of Americans’ views on abortion haven’t changed over the past year. Most people, about 60%, think abortion should be legal in all or most cases — roughly identical to the proportion who thought so in March 2022.

Other data suggest specific groups, young women, in particular, have shifted since Dobbs.