Younger women more likely than older women to support government funds for abortion: poll

Younger women are much more likely to support government funds for abortion procedures than older women, a new poll released Tuesday found.

In a Hill-HarrisX survey of registered voters, women who were younger than 50 were much more supportive of taxpayer subsidies for pregnancy terminations than those who were older than 50.

The poll found that a 51 percent majority of female respondents between 18 and 34 said they supported spending government funds on abortion procedures. Only 36 percent of women who were 50 or older agreed.

Women between 35 and 49 were somewhat in-between with 47 percent supporting funding for abortions.

Women who were 65 and older were also more likely to oppose government spending for abortion services, with 49 percent percent objecting. Forty-seven percent of of women between 50 and 64 were also opposed.

Thirty-nine percent of female respondents between 35 and 49 opposed public funds for abortion as did 33 percent of women between 18 and 34.

Across age groups, women were about equally likely to be unsure about their view on the issue.

Former Vice President Joe Biden recently elevated the issue of public funding for abortion after he took multiple positions, eventually coming out in favor of it after many years of supporting the current U.S. policy which prohibits it. In 2016, however, the Democratic Party endorsed government subsidies for abortion procedures for the first time. Biden’s reversal came after he was criticized by his rivals for the Democratic 2020 presidential nomination and by abortion rights advocates.

In the survey, male respondents did not demonstrate as much of an age divide, except among the oldest respondents. Forty-four percent of men under 65 said they supported governmental spending on abortion procedures while only 31 percent of men aged 65 and older agreed.

A majority of male respondents who were 65 and older, 54 percent, said they opposed public funds for abortion. About 34 percent of men who were 64 or younger agreed.

Men under 64 were also somewhat more likely to be unsure about their position with 22 percent saying the did not know what their opinion was. Among men 65 and older, 15 percent were unsure.

The survey found that overall, the public is highly divided on the issue with 42 percent of voters supporting public funding for abortion services and 40 percent opposing it. Eighteen percent were unsure.

There were strong differences between respondents based on their partisan leanings. Sixty-five percent of self-identified Democrats favored abortion subsidies while 65 percent of Republicans opposed them.

Among participants who identified as political independents, 33 percent favored public funds for abortions, 41 percent opposed them, and 26 percent were unsure.

The survey also found strong differences based upon respondents’ educational attainments. Those with less education were more opposed to public funding for abortion services.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents who had less than a bachelor’s degree said they supported the subsidies while 50 percent of those who had a bachelor’s degree or higher did.

—Matthew Sheffield