Attitudes To Abortion - trends
Ipsos MORI has been examining attitudes to abortion on behalf of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas) via three surveys since 1997. These findings have also been trended with a 1980 MORI question on abortion from a survey for the Sunday Times.
Q Abortion should be made legally available for all who want it.
| |
1980 |
1997 |
2001 |
2006 |
| |
|
(1,943) |
(2,006) |
(2,140) |
| |
% |
% |
% |
% |
| Agree very strongly |
15 |
15 |
20 |
14 |
| Agree strongly |
10 |
15 |
14 |
13 |
| Agree |
29 |
34 |
29 |
31 |
| Neither agree nor disagree |
9 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
| Disagree |
17 |
13 |
12 |
16 |
| Disagree strongly |
8 |
5 |
5 |
7 |
| Disagree very strongly |
11 |
7 |
7 |
5 |
| No opinion |
1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
| |
| All Who Agree |
54 |
64 |
62 |
59 |
| All Who Disagree |
35 |
25 |
25 |
27 |
Q If a woman wants an abortion, she should not have to continue with her pregnancy?
| |
2001 |
2006 |
2011 |
| |
(2,006) |
(2,140) |
(943) |
| |
% |
% |
|
| Agree very strongly |
19 |
13 |
15 |
| Agree strongly |
15 |
15 |
12 |
| Agree |
31 |
34 |
27 |
| Neither agree nor disagree |
15 |
16 |
22 |
| Disagree |
7 |
11 |
8 |
| Disagree strongly |
4 |
5 |
3 |
| Disagree very strongly |
6 |
3 |
5 |
| No opinion |
3 |
3 |
NA |
| |
|
| All Who Agree |
65 |
63 |
53
|
| All Who Disagree |
17 |
18 |
17 |
Q Do you approve or disapprove of abortion under the following circumstances?
| |
Approve |
Disapprove |
Don't know |
| |
'97 |
'01 |
'06 |
'97 |
'01 |
'06 |
'97 |
'01 |
'06 |
| |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
| Where the woman is under 16 (footnote 1) |
58 |
64 |
60 |
29 |
20 |
24 |
13 |
15 |
16 |
| Where there is evidence that the child would be born with serious learning difficulties that used to be known as 'mental handicap' (footnote 2) |
67 |
64 |
55 |
20 |
21 |
28 |
13 |
15 |
17 |
| Where there is evidence that the child would be born with serious physical disabilities (footnote 3) |
66 |
70 |
64 |
21 |
15 |
20 |
13 |
15 |
16 |
| Where a woman does not wish to have a child (footnote 4) |
42 |
50 |
48 |
46 |
33 |
38 |
12 |
16 |
14 |
Footnotes
- The wording of this statement differed in 1997, as follows: 'Where the woman is under the age of consent'.
- This statement was worded as follows in 1997: 'Where it is likely that the child would be mentally handicapped or mentally disabled'.
- The following wording was used in 1997: 'Where it is likely that the child would be physically handicapped or physically disabled'.
- The following wording was used in the previous study: 'When the woman does not wish to have a child for whatever reason'.
|