Poll: Majority of Minnesotans support abortion rights

St. Cloud State University poll data released on Friday (PDF) shows most Minnesotans support abortion rights and oppose overturning Roe v. Wade, a result that’s in line with polling throughout the decade. Republicans, religious conservatives and those who never completed high school were most likely to oppose abortion rights.

In the survey conducted this fall, 8.7 percent of respondents felt that a woman should never have an abortion for any reason; 30.4 percent said it’s acceptable in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother; 12.6 percent said abortion is allowable only if the need to have one “is clearly established”; and a plurality of those surveyed, 45.9 percent, said that abortion is a woman’s personal choice.

The preference for banning any and all abortion was higher among Republicans (17 percent), Baptists (15 percent) and Catholics (12 percent). Lutheran support for a total ban was low (3 percent) and comparable to non-religious people (2 percent). Minnesotans who had not completed high school were much more likely to support a total ban on abortion (24 percent).

Two-thirds of Minnesotans support maintaining Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined a right to abortion, while 25.4 percent would like to see that decision overturned. The percentage of people who support an overturning of Roe increased among Republicans (48 percent) and Baptists (69 percent). Lutherans were less likely than Minnesotans in general to support overturning Roe, with only 20 percent.

There were few differences between rural, suburban and urban responses.

St. Cloud State University will be releasing more data in the coming weeks, including Minnesotans’ views on same-sex marriage.