Attitudes toward abortion: a comparative analysis of correlates for 1973 and 1975.

Abstract

This paper contains an analysis of both the level of support for abortion and the correlates of such support for both 1973 and 1975, as indicated by National Opinion Research Center data. In comparison to previous research, which focused primarily on bivariate analyses of demographic variables, we examine the role of demographic and other variables (such as work status, unemployment history, receipt of government aid, and belief in an afterlife) at both the bivariate and multivariate levels of analysis. The result indicates an abatement of the previously increasing level of support; this datum plus the increase in persons responding "don't know" suggest the occurrence of a reappraisal of support for abortion. The bivariate analysis indicates that support is highest among those who: are white, never married, or higher socioeconomic status, with no religious affiliation, seldom attend church, live in the Northeast or West, or have lower exposure to children. Multivariate analysis indicates that religion and socioeconomic status are the most salient variables. A comparison between the 1973 and 1975 data indicate reduced support among men and increased support among women, reduced support among the never married, and increased support among blacks, Catholics, Southerners, and those with less than a high school education. Abortion has become one of the most salient social issues in America in the last decade. The rise in the numbers of abortions (four million by 1976) and the general acceptance of abortion have been widely discussed in both the popular press and the research literature. The attention given to abortion is undoubtedly a reflection of the salience *Revision of a paper presented at the annual meetings of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research, November 19-20, 1976, Chicago.