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Mixed results from latest Gallup polling on abortion (pro-choicers now outnumber pro-lifers)
Hotair ^ | 05/23/2011 | Ed Morrissey

Posted on 05/23/2011 1:08:53 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Gallup has polled on abortion for decades, ever since Roe v Wade overturned state bans on the procedure. Two years ago, Gallup f0und that the pro-life position had taken a majority for the first time (51/42), but retreated somewhat in 2010 to a narrow 47/45 plurality. Their latest poll, released today, gives the pro-choice position a plurality edge for the first time in three years:

Americans are closely divided between those calling themselves “pro-choice” and those who are “pro-life,” now 49% and 45%, respectively, in Gallup’s 2011 update on U.S. abortion attitudes. This is similar to a year ago, when 45% were “pro-choice” and 47% “pro-life.” However, it is the first time since 2008 that the “pro-choice” position has had the numerical advantage on this Gallup trend.

However, a majority still believes abortion to be morally wrong:

Gallup’s 2011 Values and Beliefs survey, conducted May 5-8, finds a bit more public agreement about the morality of abortion. Just over half of Americans, 51%, believe abortion is “morally wrong,” while 39% say it is “morally acceptable.” Americans’ views on this have been fairly steady since 2002, except for 2006, when they were evenly divided.

That has been true for almost the entire polling series. Only in three years over the past ten has a majority failed to support the morally-wrong position (2001, 2006, and 2008). Despite that, in most years since the 1975 start of the polling series, a majority supports legalized abortion “under certain circumstances.” The position of legal under all circumstances has never had more than 34% support in almost four decades of polling, and it around the historical average this year at 27%. Those supporting the position of making abortion illegal under all circumstances hit its historical high in this poll, but that’s only 22%.

The American populace seems to still be in flux on this question, but LifeNews puts a positive spin on it:

By a 24 percent margin, 61-37 percent, Americans take the pro-life view that abortions should either be legal under no circumstances or legal only under a few circumstances. Although Gallup doesn’t specify those “few” circumstances, polling data has consistently shown that, when asked about cases such as rape, incest, or the life of the mother, a majority of Americans want all or almost all abortions made illegal — leaving only life of the mother or rape and incest as the exceptions.

“Americans are rather conservative in their stance on abortion, with 61% now preferring that abortion be legal in only a few circumstances or no circumstances. By contrast, 37% want abortion legal in all or most circumstances,” Gallup analyst Lydia Saad writes. “Over the past two decades, Americans have consistently leaned toward believing abortion should be legal in only a few or no circumstances, although less so in the mid-1990s than since about 1997, when combined support for these has averaged close to 60%.”

In fact, Gallup polling shows that, since 1994, a majority of Americans have held a pro-life view wanting all or almost all abortions made illegal — and that pro-life view has strengthened with an average of 60 percent of Americans saying that over the years.

The changes this year look like they could be classified as statistical noise. However, after the 2009 result, the pro-life movement thought they had started to build momentum. This poll suggests that more hard work is ahead before that becomes the case.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abortion; gallup; poll; prochoice
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1 posted on 05/23/2011 1:08:58 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Wondering why?


2 posted on 05/23/2011 1:10:37 PM PDT by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists, call 'em what you will, they ALL have fairies livin' in their trees.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Bullfeathers


3 posted on 05/23/2011 1:10:43 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life is tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Imagine what the numbers would look like if abortion victims were able to express their opinion on this issue.


4 posted on 05/23/2011 1:17:06 PM PDT by ConservaTexan (February 6, 1911)
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To: rockinqsranch






5 posted on 05/23/2011 1:17:57 PM PDT by SeekAndFind (u)
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To: rockinqsranch
It's just more statistical chicanery.

Still, if over half the people in this country think it's OK to kill someone just because they don't think they're human, they themselves shouldn't mind being killed eh?

So many questions; so little time. Shortly after Sputnik was launched a pollster asked a statistically valid sample of people if they thought the satellite was too high, or too low, or just right.

He got a 1/3 positive response for each choice ~ pure random response.

If you look at the aggregate responses on this particular question series over a period of years you will notice it moves up and down with some regularity ~ which means (all of you quality control and Sigma 6 guys out there) what?

Well, it means the response situation for the poll is UNDER STATISTICAL CONTROL ~ which really bothers me since this is supposed to be a random poll that addresses some serious political issues about which there is both volatility but potential threats of violence ~ (particularly from the pro-aborts who currently have control of the courts and the public executioners).

My conclusion is Gallup is adjusting the poll results in some manner to deceive us regarding what kind of answers they're getting.

Mark this one up as worthless!

6 posted on 05/23/2011 1:20:48 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: SeekAndFind

BS


7 posted on 05/23/2011 1:26:59 PM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
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To: SeekAndFind

If only one person on the planet opposed abortion that person would be right and the billions wrong.


8 posted on 05/23/2011 1:29:44 PM PDT by xp38
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To: SeekAndFind

And at one time the majority of Germans thought it was perfectly okiley-dokiley to shove Jews into ovens.


9 posted on 05/23/2011 1:31:11 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: rockinqsranch

Check out the difference between obama’s Rasmussen vs gallup polls..they’re like night and day. Just like Zogby (a family full of Rats’), they could be manipulating the results.


10 posted on 05/23/2011 1:31:27 PM PDT by max americana (.)
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To: dfwgator

They probably still do but they’ve learned to keep their mouths shut eh!


11 posted on 05/23/2011 1:33:41 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: SeekAndFind

Have always thought that pro-choice is a coward’s term, used by liberals to disguise what abortion really is. One is either pro-life or pro-abortion. IMHO


12 posted on 05/23/2011 1:41:30 PM PDT by floozy22
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To: SeekAndFind
I just heard the opposite a couple months ago. A poll showed that pro-lifers outnumbered pro-abortioners.

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.”
- Mark Twain

13 posted on 05/23/2011 1:45:08 PM PDT by PATRIOT1876 (The only crimes that are 100% preventable are crimes committed by illegal aliens)
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To: dfwgator

I have to wonder about your assertion, “the majority of Germans thought it was perfectly okiley-dokiley to shove Jews into ovens.”

I would agree that at one point it was a majority of Germans who accepted that Jews were inferior, etc. But from reading I’ve done in the past, it is my understanding that the Nazis had to keep the Final Solution secret. They went to great lengths to deceive not only the Jewish populace that the Jews were being shipped to work farms, but they were deceiving the general populace as well as to the true location and demise of those who were shipped.

Many Germans did lie to themselves, and perhaps knew more than they wanted to admit, but that in itself indicates that they did not agree with the Final Solution as being perfectly okiley dokiley.

Just my honest/humble opinion.

That being said, I did get your point as a commentary about the veracity of polls.


14 posted on 05/23/2011 1:55:09 PM PDT by TEXOKIE (Anarchy IS the strategy of the forces of darkness!)
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To: SeekAndFind
Gee what a coincidence: For First Time, Majority of Americans Support Gay Marriage

It would seem the kids over at Gallup have been busy lately trying to shape public opinion.

15 posted on 05/23/2011 2:03:38 PM PDT by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: rockinqsranch

Because we keep using the benign term the liberals love ‘abortion’, when what is happening to the Unborn is GENOCIDE.

1 city killing 45% of it’s Unborn is Genocide.

And those who come to my door with Bibles in hand get the lecture about those who vote pro-choice are voting against God’s will and will have to face His judgement for that vote. They are very quick to get down the street to the next fool who doesn’t understand that simple fact.


16 posted on 05/23/2011 2:30:33 PM PDT by GailA (2012 rally cry DEMOCRATS and RINOS are BAD for the USA!)
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To: muawiyah

They are disgusting liars!
Here is their record of their record.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/9442/Election-Polls-Accuracy-Record-Presidential-Elections.aspx
It says they are always real close.

Although if you go here,
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/579009/general_election_polls_a_history_of.html
It says:
1976
Late July - Gallup
Jimmy Carter 62%
Gerald Ford 30%

Final Results
Carter 50.1%
Ford 48.0%

Average MOE - 14.95%

They even lie/manipulate their past record.


17 posted on 05/23/2011 2:31:26 PM PDT by ConservativeChris
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To: muawiyah

I seriously doubt they still do. A previous poster made a good case that they didn’t believe in the Final Solution even then. I know you were trying to be funny, but it wasn’t.


18 posted on 05/23/2011 4:04:35 PM PDT by conservativebuckeye
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To: conservativebuckeye
As I said they'll never tell.

Antisemitism is too rampant in Europe these days to believe the Germans are now immune.

19 posted on 05/23/2011 4:16:21 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: SeekAndFind

I just placemarked an aritcle that says 61% are now against abortion. Will read and maybe ping tomorrow.


20 posted on 05/24/2011 12:21:31 AM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
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