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. 2023 Dec;31(1):2233794.
doi: 10.1080/26410397.2023.2233794.

People's knowledge of and attitudes toward abortion laws before and after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision

Kristen N Jozkowski  1 , Xiana Bueno  2 , Ronna C Turner  3 , Brandon L Crawford  4 , Wen-Juo Lo  5
Affiliations

People's knowledge of and attitudes toward abortion laws before and after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision

Kristen N Jozkowski et al. Sex Reprod Health Matters. 2023 Dec.

Abstract
in English, French, Spanish

Although media response to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision was widespread in the United States, the extent to which people were aware of the Mississippi law leading to the decision, the Dobbs v. Jackson case, is unclear, as are the resulting effects of the decision on legal abortion. As such, we examined people's awareness of abortion legality prior to and after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision announcement, as well as the potential implications associated with the decision (i.e. overturning of Roe v. Wade). We also examined people's attitudes toward abortion legality, specifically focusing on 15 weeks' gestation to correspond with the Mississippi law that led to Dobbs v. Jackson. Data were collected across two studies at different times. In Study 1, a 15-minute survey was administered to IPSOS' KnowledgePanel (N = 1014) prior to the decision announcement. A shorter version of that survey was administered to a second sample using NORC's AmeriSpeak Omnibus panel (N = 1002). Nearly half of that sample (42.2%) completed the survey prior to the decision announcement. People were generally unaware of the Mississippi law, the Dobbs v. Jackson case, and implications associated with the decision (e.g. overturning Roe v. Wade). People generally endorsed abortion being legal at 15 weeks or later, but this varied by circumstance. We did not find meaningful effects of the decision announcement on people's knowledge and attitudes. Our findings suggest that the intense response to the decision from the media and people involved in the abortion movement may not represent the general public's reaction.

Bien que la décision sur Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ait suscité une importante couverture médiatique aux États-Unis, on ignore dans quelle mesure la population connaissait la loi du Mississipi ayant abouti à la décision, l’affaire Dobbs v. Jackson, de même que les conséquences résultant de la décision sur l’avortement légal. À ce titre, nous avons examiné les connaissances de la population sur la légalité de l’avortement avant et après l’annonce de la décision sur Dobbs v. Jackson, ainsi que les conséquences potentielles associées à la décision (c’est-à-dire l’annulation de Roe v. Wade). Nous avons également analysé les attitudes des personnes à l’égard de la légalité de l’avortement, en nous concentrant précisément sur la gestation de 15 semaines pour correspondre à la loi du Mississipi qui a conduit à Dobbs v. Jackson. Les données ont été recueillies dans deux études à différents moments. Dans la première étude, une enquête de 15 minutes a été administrée au KnowledgePanel d’Ipsos (n = 1014) avant l’annonce de la décision. Une version plus courte de cette enquête a été administrée à un deuxième échantillon à l’aide du groupe AmeriSpeak Omnibus de NORC (n = 1002). Près de la moitié de cet échantillon (42.2%) a répondu à l’enquête avant l’annonce de la décision. Les personnes interrogées n’étaient généralement pas au courant de la loi du Mississipi, de l’affaire Dobbs v. Jackson ni des conséquences associées à la décision (par exemple l’annulation de Roe v. Wade). Elles approuvaient en général la légalité de l’avortement à 15 semaines ou plus, mais cela variait selon les circonstances. Nous n’avons pas constaté d’effets significatifs de l’annonce de la décision sur les connaissances et les attitudes des répondants. Nos conclusions semblent indiquer que l’intense réaction suscitée par la décision dans les médias et chez les personnes participant au mouvement pour l’avortement ne représente peut-être pas la réponse du grand public.

Aunque en Estados Unidos se vio una respuesta mediática generalizada a la sentencia judicial del caso Dobbs c. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, no se sabe con certeza en qué medida las personas eran conscientes de la ley de Mississippi que propició el fallo en el caso Dobbs c. Jackson ni cuáles fueron los efectos resultantes de la decisión en la interrupción legal del embarazo. Por ello, examinamos el conocimiento de las personas sobre la legalidad del aborto antes y después del anuncio de la sentencia de Dobbs c. Jackson, así como las posibles implicaciones asociadas con la decisión (ej., la revocación de Roe c. Wade). Además, examinamos las actitudes de las personas respecto a la legalidad del aborto, con un enfoque específico en 15 semanas de gestación para que correspondiera con la ley de Mississippi que llevó a Dobbs c. Jackson. Se recolectaron datos en dos estudios en diferentes tiempos. En el Estudio 1, se administró una encuesta de 15 minutos al KnowledgePanel de IPSOS (N = 1014) antes del anuncio del fallo. Se administró una versión más corta de esa encuesta a una segunda muestra utilizando el panel AmeriSpeak Omnibus de NORC (N = 1002). Casi la mitad de esa muestra (42.2%) contestó la encuesta antes del anuncio de la sentencia. En general, las personas no eran conscientes de la ley de Mississippi, ni del caso de Dobbs c. Jackson ni de las implicaciones asociadas con el fallo (ej., revocación de Roe c. Wade). Las personas generalmente aprobaban la legalidad del aborto a partir de las 15 semanas de gestación, pero esto variaba según las circunstancias. No encontramos efectos significativos del anuncio de la sentencia en los conocimientos y las actitudes de las personas. Nuestros hallazgos indican que la respuesta intensa al fallo por los medios de comunicación y las personas involucradas en el movimiento de aborto posiblemente no representen la reacción del público en general.

Keywords: Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization; Roe v. Wade; abortion attitudes; abortion knowledge; abortion laws; public opinion.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Beliefs about abortion legality
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Knowledge of abortion legality Note: The correct answer is outlined.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Attitudes toward the earliest abortion should be banned (n = 904)
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Attitudes toward legal abortion by circumstance (n = 902–909) Circumstances: If the woman''s own health is seriously endangered by the pregnancy?; If she became pregnant as a result of rape?; If there is a strong chance of serious defect in the baby?; If the family has a very low income and cannot afford any more children?; If she feels unprepared to parent?; If she believes she is too young to have a baby?; If she wants to continue her education?; If she wants to focus on her career?
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Knowledge of abortion legality before and after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision announcement Note: The correct answer is outlined.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Attitudes toward legal abortion by circumstance before and after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision announcement (n = 969–975) Circumstances: If the woman's own health is seriously endangered by the pregnancy?; If she became pregnant as a result of rape?; If there is a strong chance of serious defect in the baby?; If the family has a very low income and cannot afford any more children?; If she feels unprepared to parent?; If she believes she is too young to have a baby?; If she wants to continue her education?; If she wants to focus on her career?
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