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      NEW YORK (AP) — Americans, regardless of generation, are deeply
conflicted as they wrestle with the legality and morality of
abortion, with large numbers identifying themselves as both
"pro-choice" and "pro-life," according to a sweeping new



      While a solid majority - 56 percent - says abortion should be
legal in most or all cases, 52 percent say abortion is morally
wrong.


      The detailed and nuanced findings were released Thursday by the
Public Religion Research Institute, based on a survey of 3,000
adults - one of the largest ever to focus on Americans' views of
abortion.


      The survey devoted particular attention to the views of young
adults. It noted that 18-to-29-year-olds are far more likely than
their elders to support same-sex marriage, but found there is no
comparable generation gap regarding abortion.


      In addition to its many new findings, the survey tracked other
polls over the past 12 years to highlight a sharp discrepancy in
attitudes toward the two most prominent hot-button issues of the
culture wars.


      Views on abortion have been stable, with 56 percent of Americans
telling Gallup pollsters this year that it should be legal in most
or all cases compared to 57 percent who said that in 1999. In
contrast, support for same-sex marriage has surged - from 35
percent in 1999 to 53 percent in 2011, according to Pew Research
Center polls.


      A key factor in that discrepancy relates to attitudes of the
so-called millennials between the ages of 18 and 29.


      "Millennials strongly support gender equality and rights for
gay and lesbian people," the survey said. "However ... younger
Americans are no more supportive of abortion rights than the
general population."
      For example, 57 perc

ent of millennials favor same-sex marriage,
compared to 32 percent of baby boomers aged 50 to 64. Yet when
asked about abortion, support for legal abortions was virtually the
same - 60 percent among millennials, 59 percent among boomers.


      Ambivalence was reflected in other responses from millennials:
68 percent said legal abortions should be available from health
professionals in their community, while only 46 percent said having
an abortion is morally acceptable.


      The Public Religion Research Institute, which conducted the
survey with funding from the Ford Foundation, is a nonprofit,
nonpartisan organization which studies the intersection of religion
and public life. Its CEO, Robert P. Jones, said both sides of the
abortion debate were likely to find a mix of encouraging and
discouraging findings in the new survey.


      Early reaction bore out Jones' prediction, as advocacy groups on
opposing sides highlighted the findings that buttressed their
views, while downplaying less favorable data.


      "At the end of the day, Americans are committed to the
availability of abortion, and conflicted about its morality,"
Jones said in an interview. "I would call it a stable tension."


      One notable finding pertains to the labels "pro-choice" and
"pro-life" - which are widely used by rival advocacy groups and
are presented as either/or choices in most polls.


      In the new survey, 70 percent of respondents said the term
"pro-choice" describes them somewhat or very well, and nearly
two-thirds similarly embraced the term "pro-life." In all, 37
percent said they had a mixed identity - either embracing or
rejecting both labels equally. Only 12 percent identified as
"strongly pro-life" and 13 percent as "strongly pro-choice."


      Nineteen percent said abortion should be legal in all cases and
37 percent said it should be legal in most cases. Fourteen percent
said it should be illegal in all cases; 26 percent said it should
be illegal in most cases.


      With the exception of white evangelical Protestants, majorities
of major religious groups - including Roman Catholics - favor
legalized abortion, according to the survey. Only 29 percent of
white evangelicals said abortion should be legal in most or all
cases.


      The findings reflect a "decoupling" of the debates over
abortion and same-sex marriage, according to Jones, who predicted
the two issues "will increasingly go forward on their own
tracks."


      He noted that focus groups of millennials convened as part of
the survey tended to depict same-sex marriage - but not abortion -
in positive terms.


      "Abortion is just a different kind of issue, even for those who
support it," Jones said. "It's not the kind of issue that one
celebrates."


      The findings mesh with recent commentary by some conservative
leaders, who feel they can compete vigorously for the backing of
young people on abortion issues but acknowledge setbacks in
opposing same-sex marriage.


      "We're losing on that one, especially among the 20- and
30-somethings," said Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family,
in a recent interview with World Magazine. "I don't know if that's
going to change with a little more age - demographers would say
probably not."


      Leslie Kantor, national director of education for the Planned
Parenthood Federation of America, said the surge of young adults'
support for same-sex marriage could be explained by the fast pace
of gay-rights political change and by the prevalence of gay
characters and celebrities on TV and in other media.


      "For young adults, the vast majority know someone in their life
who is gay," Kantor said. "There's no comparable coming out
process related to abortion - even though by age 45 one-third of
American women will have had one."


      Angela Ferrell-Zabala, who does abortion-rights outreach on
college campuses for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive
Choice, said young adults' attitudes may be affected somewhat by
campaigns depicting abortion as shameful.


      But as many legislatures toughen state restrictions on abortion,
she contends there are signs of an abortion-rights backlash.


      "I'm seeing young people reaching out, who are outraged by
these attacks," she said.


      At a news conference Thursday, discussing the survey, Jones said
he was struck by the "MTV effect" that it revealed.


      According to the survey, respondents who had seen MTV's popular
reality shows about teen pregnancy - "16 and Pregnant" or "Teen
Mom" - were significantly more likely than the general public to
say abortion is morally acceptable and should be legal in most or
all cases.


      The survey was based on telephone interviews conducted between
April 22 and May 8 among a random sample of 3,000 adults in the
continental United States, including 750 who were interviewed on
cell phones. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or
minus 2 percentage points, and higher for subgroups.

Gallery

Social Issues

Americans, regardless of generation, are deeply
conflicted as they wrestle with the legality and morality of
abortion, with large numbers identifying themselves as both
"pro-choice" and "pro-life," according to a sweeping new
survey.

Survey shows Americans' conflicted abortion views

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