Memo
Strong Majority of Michigan Voters Support Reproductive Freedom, Reject Banning Abortion
From: Katherine Patterson, Public Policy Polling
To: Interested Parties
Date: August 21, 2020
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that a large majority (74%) of Michigan voters believe that abortion should be legal, and that the government should not prevent a woman from making that decision for herself. Just 12% say they would only consider voting for a candidate who supports banning abortion in the November election.
A large majority (77%) also agree, with 60% in strong agreement, that any decision about pregnancy should be made by the woman with the support of people she loves and trusts, while just 19% disagree. This also includes 79% of independent voters and 57% of Republicans.
Michigan voters also show strong support for respecting a woman’s freedom to make personal decisions:
- 65% agree that one-size-fits-all laws simply don’t work when people are making personal medical decisions, while just 21% disagree. This includes agreement from a majority (58%) of African-American voters.
- 58% are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports a world where people respect others’ personal decisions about parenthood and pregnancy—whether those decisions involve giving birth, putting a child up for adoption, having an abortion, or choosing not to have children at all. This includes 60% of African-American voters. Just 23% overall say they would be less likely to support such a candidate.
- 55% agree that it is important for state legislatures to proactively protect the right to abortion through state legislation, with Roe v. Wade in danger of being overturned in the Supreme Court. Only 36% disagree. A further 67% of African-American voters also agree.
Other key findings in the survey include:
- 52% of Michiganders who supported President Trump in 2016 support reproductive freedom and access to abortion; believing that the government should not prevent a woman from making that decision for herself.
- 62% of voters who supported Trump in 2016 agree that decisions on pregnancy should be made by the woman with the support of people she loves and trusts, while only 32% disagree.
- Just 10% of African-American voters say they would only consider voting for a candidate who supports banning abortion in the November election.
Public Policy Polling surveyed 669 Michigan voters from August 19-20, 2020. The margin of error is +/- 3.8%. 50% of interviews for the survey were conducted by telephone and 50% by text message.