For decades, KFF polling has provided insights into national and state-level reproductive health care policy including multiple public opinion polls examining the experiences and attitudes of the general public as well as the group most impacted by such policies – women between the ages of 18 and 49. This latest KFF poll was fielded the week following the leak of a draft of the U.S. Supreme Court opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health CenterIf the final ruling in the case resembles the leaked draft, the Court would overturn Roe v. Wade and end the constitutional right to abortion. This analysis examines the public’s attitudes and understanding of the future of reproductive health and abortion access in the U.S. and looks at the role abortion and a decision on Dobbs may play in the upcoming midterm elections this November.

Key Findings:

  • Majorities of U.S. adults are aware of the leaked draft of the pending Supreme Court decision, and majorities across gender and partisanship say it is either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” the Supreme Court will be overturning Roe v. Wade this year. With this in mind, nearly two-thirds of adults do not want to see the decision overturned, and a large majority (74%) say abortion should be a personal choice and not something that is regulated by law.
  • Among those who live in the 17 states where abortion is certain or very likely to be banned if Roe v. Wade is overturned, majorities are aware that getting an abortion would be much harder in their state as a result of such a decision. However, partisans differ on whether this increased difficulty is a good or a bad thing, with Republicans more likely to say it would be a “good thing” that abortion would be harder to access in their state and Democrats more likely to view it as a “bad thing.”