Societal attitudes towards abortion have varied throughout different historical periods and cultures. One manner of assessing such attitudes in the modern era has been to conduct opinion polls to measure levels of public opinion on abortion.
Attitudes by region
Africa South Africa: A 2003 Human Sciences Research Council study examined moral attitudes among South Africans: 56% said they believed that abortion is wrong even if there is a strong chance of serious defect in the fetus, while 70% said they believed that abortion is wrong if done primarily because the parents have low income and may be unable to afford another child.Rule, Stephen. (2004). Rights or wrongs? Public attitudes towards moral values . HSRC Review, 2 (3). Retrieved March 25, 2007.
Europe
Austria: A May 2007 OGM survey examined Austrian opinion on the morality of abortion, asking, "Personally, do you think of abortion as a moral issue?" 20% of those polled replied, "yes, always", 59% replied "yes, under certain circumstances", 19% replied "no, never", and 2% replied that they were "not sure"."." (June 3, 2007). Angus Reid Global Monitor. Retrieved June 20, 2007. Czech Republic: A May 2007 CVVM poll found that 72% believe abortion in the Czech Republic should be allowed "at the request of the woman", 19% that it should be allowed for "societal reasons", 5% that it should be allowed only if "a woman's health is at risk", 1% that it should be "banned"."Most in Czech Republic Support Abortion Rights." (June 10, 2007). Angus Reid Global Monitor. Retrieved June 20, 2007. Republic of Ireland: A January 2010 Irish Examiner/RedC poll about abortion in Ireland found that 60% of 18- to 35-year-olds felt abortion should be legalised, and 10% had been in a relationship in which an abortion had taken place. A January 2010 opinion poll conducted by Millward Brown Landsdowne for the Pro Life Campaign found 70% of people questioned favored constitutional protection for the unborn under circumstances where intervention to save the mother's life was legal. A January 2013 Paddy Power/Red C poll of 1,002 adults found that 29% of voters believed that there should be a constitutional amendment to allow abortion "in any case where the woman requests it". Support was highest at 37% within the 18- to 35-year-old age group. In 2018, The Thirty-sixth amendment of the constitution of Ireland, was voted for by 66.40% of the Irish population, receiving a majority in all constituency of the republic apart from Donegal Great Britain: A January 2010 Angus Reid Public Opinion poll asked "Do you think abortion should be legal under any circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances, or illegal in all circumstances?" 36% responded that they believe abortion should be legal in all circumstances, 55% that it should be legal in certain circumstances, and 3% that it should be illegal in all circumstances."Half of Britons Say NHS Should Only Fund Abortions in Emergency Cases." (January 13, 2010). Angus Reid Public Opinion. Retrieved January 16, 2010. Poland: An April 2019 Kantar poll in Poland found 58% of Poles supported women to have the right to abortion on-demand up to the 12th week of pregnancy, 35% opposed and 7% had no opinion. A poll from 28 October 2020 found that 22% of Poles supported abortion-on demand, 62% only in certain cases and 11% thought it should be completely illegal. The Netherlands: A September 2023 poll showed that 86% of the population above the age of 25 believed that woman should be able to choose to get an abortion. The poll also found that only 9% of people believed that abortion is murder, compared to the 13% of the people in a 2017 poll.
2005 poll of ten countries A May 2005 Euro RSCG/TNS Sofres poll examined attitudes toward abortion in 10 European countries, asking polltakers whether they agreed with the statement, "If a woman doesn't want children, she should be able to have an abortion".(associated article ) Results were as follows: Country "Very much" "A little" "Not really" "Not at all"Czech Republic66%15%8%10%Finland54%20%9%13%France55%23%8%13%Germany40%24%10%24%Italy29%24%16%25%Netherlands37%22%11%26%Poland23%24%19%29%Portugal32%20%12%30%Spain41%18%8%27%United Kingdom43%23%10%19%
Eastern Europe/Eurasia study An April 2003 CDC/ORC Macro report examined sentiment on abortion among women aged 15 to 44 in six former-Comecon countries, asking, "Do you think that (in any situation) a woman always has (or should have) the right to decide about her (own) pregnancy, including whether to have an abortion?" The results were: Country Azerbaijan(2001) Czech Republic(1993) Georgia(1999) Moldova(1997) Romania(1999) Russia(1996)Yes80%85%79%81%78%72%No20%15%21%19%22%28% Among those whose response was "no" above, it was then asked if abortion would be acceptable under selected circumstances. Positive responses to this subsequent question were: Country Azerbaijan(2001) Czech Republic(1993) Georgia(1999) Moldova(1997) Romania(1999) Russia(1996)If the pregnancy endangers woman's life83%91%80%71%69%N/AIf the child might be born deformed80%74%80%88%70%N/AIf pregnancy endangers woman's health70%72%70%38%52%N/AIf pregnancy resulted from rape67%71%40%43%42%N/AIf family cannot afford to support the child65%16%23%32%29%N/AIf the woman is not married66%8%22%16%23%N/A
North and Central America Canada: A December 2001 Gallup poll about abortion in Canada, asked, "Do you think abortions should be legal under any circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances or illegal in all circumstances and in what circumstances?" 32% responded that they believe abortion should be legal in all circumstances, 52% that it should be legal in certain circumstances, and 14% that it should be legal in no circumstances. Mexico: A November 2005 IMO poll about abortion in Mexico found that 73.4% think abortion should not be legalized while 11.2% think it should."." (December 1, 2005). Angus Reid Global Monitor. Retrieved January 10, 2006. Nicaragua: An August–September 2006 Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research poll on the legality of abortion to save a woman's life found that 20% of respondents felt strongly that it should be "legal", 49% felt somewhat that it should be "legal", 18% felt strongly that it should be "illegal", and 10% felt somewhat that it should be "illegal"."." (December 4, 2006). Angus Reid Global Monitor. Retrieved January 10, 2006. Panama: A May 2005 Dichter & Neira/La Prensa poll found that 89.4% disagreed with abortion and 8.3% agreed."." (May 23, 2005). Angus Reid Global Monitor. Retrieved January 10, 2006. Canada: A January 2010 Angus Reid Public Opinion poll found that 40% of Canadians think abortion should be permitted in all cases, while 31% support it with some restrictions; 41% say the health care system should pay for abortions only in emergency cases; 53% say under-aged girls should need parental consent for abortions."Many Canadians Would Like to See Restrictions on Abortion Procedures ." (January 15, 2010). Angus Reid Public Opinion. Retrieved January 16, 2010. United States: A 2022 study that reviewing existing literature and public opinion datasets found that 43.8% in the U.S. are consistently "pro-choice" whereas 14.8% are consistently "pro-life." Support for abortion has gradually increased over time in the U.S. since the Roe v. Wade ruling. United States: A January 2010 Angus Reid Public Opinion poll found that 30% of Americans think abortion should be permitted only in cases of rape, incest, or to save the woman's life; 44% agree with banning abortion coverage through insurance companies subsidized by the government, while 42% disagree; 31% claim pregnant women don't have enough information about alternatives to abortion."Split on Covering Abortion in Insurance Plans that Use Federal Subsidies." (January 14, 2010). Angus Reid Public Opinion. Retrieved January 16, 2010. United States: A February 2007 CBS News poll about abortion in the U.S. asked, "What is your personal feeling about abortion?", and 30% said that it should be "permitted only in cases such as rape, incest or to save the woman's life", 31% said that abortion should be "permitted in all cases", 16% that it should be "permitted, but subject to greater restrictions than it is now", 12% said that it should "only be permitted to save the woman's life", and 5% said that it should "never" be permitted.The Polling Report. (2006). Retrieved January 11, 2006. The Gallup poll has obtained the following results:The Polling Report. (2008). Retrieved 2008-09-10.See Saad, "Americans Walk the Middle Road on Abortion," The Gallup Poll Monthly (April 2000); Gallup Poll Topics from Florida Right to Life. Retrieved 2007-01-12. 2003 Poll2000 Poll1996 Poll Legal Illegal Legal Illegal Legal Illegal First trimester 66% 29% 66% 31% 64% 30% Second trimester 25% 68% 24% 69% 26% 65% Third trimester 10% 84% 8% 86% 13% 82%
Oceania Australia: Since at least the 1980s, public opinion polls have shown a majority of Australians support abortion rights,It's time to come clean on abortion debate , emilyslist.org.au. (1 February 2005). Retrieved 5 April 2009. and that support for abortion is increasing. In 2003, a poll by the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes found that 81% of Australians believe a woman should have the right to choose an abortion, and a 2007 poll by the same group found 4% of Australians are opposed to abortion in all circumstances. Hawaii: The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that 79% of people from Hawaii said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. New Zealand: In a March 2019 poll 51% said abortion should be permitted whenever a woman decides she wants one, 25% in certain circumstances, such as if a woman has been raped, 10% only if the life of the mother is in danger and 4% never.
South America Argentina: A September 2011 survey conducted by the nonprofit organization Catholics for Choice found that 45% of Argentines are in favor of abortion for any reason in the first twelve weeks. This same poll conducted in September 2011 also suggests that most Argentines favor abortion being legal when a woman's health or life is at risk (81%), when the pregnancy is a result of rape (80%) or the fetus has severe abnormalities (68%). Brazil: In 2021, a survey conducted by PoderData, found that, 58% of Brazilians are against the legalization of abortion in Brazil, those who are favorable of legalization add up to 31%. Another 11% do not know or do not respond. Chile: A 2014 poll found that 70% of Chileans supported abortion if a mother's life is in danger, if a fetus is unviable or when a pregnancy is a result of rape. According to a Pew Research Center poll in 2014, in Chile, public opinion is divided on the issue; 47% say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 49% say it should be illegal in all or most circumstances. Colombia: A September 2017 survey, conducted by the nonprofit Table for Life and Women's Health, found that 65% of Colombians believe that abortion should be legal for certain circumstances. (in Spanish) Uruguay: A May 2007 Factum/El Espectador survey asked Uruguayans about a law under debate in their country's Senate, which would legalize abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, finding that 61% support the law, 27% oppose the law, and 12% are unsure about it."Uruguayans Support Legalizing Abortion. (June 1, 2007). Angus Reid Global Monitor. Retrieved June 20, 2007.
Attitudes by religion Overall, religion is a clear determinant of certain group's opinion on abortion. While different religions elicit different levels of support for abortion, there are clear correlations between one's faith, and support/opposition for abortion policy. Thus, within the societal umbrella of abortion opinion, each religion provides a specific contribution to the society's overall position.