Polling by the United States Studies Centre (USSC) and YouGov shows that current New South Wales abortion laws appear to be out of step with public opinion.
To learn more about American and Australian attitudes towards issues like women's reproductive rights, the USSC and YouGov conducted a poll of 1,800 Americans and 1,820 Australians in late July.
Amongst the results, the poll found NSW voters are no less likely than those in other Australian states to support a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion, with 60 per cent saying a woman should be able to obtain an abortion as a matter of personal choice.
While the NSW Parliament is currently debating whether to ease restrictions, many American states are introducing legislation that pushes for highly-restrictive abortion laws.
“Broadly speaking, a majority of Australians believe abortion is a matter of personal conscience and should not be restricted by the law,” USSC Lecturer in Political Science Dr Shaun Ratcliff said.
"This is less the case in the United States. There the public remains more divided, with approximately 42 per cent of Americans supportive of unrestricted access to abortion.
“Americans are more likely to believe that abortion should never be permitted or only in exceptional circumstances. These are the views of only a very small minority in Australia.”
Attitudes towards abortion
Breakdown by Australian state
Media enquiries
Drew Sheldrick
T 02 9114 2622
E drew.sheldrick@sydney.edu.au
