About FlashAlert on Twitter:
FlashAlert utilizes the free service Twitter to distribute emergency text messages. While you are welcome to register your cell phone text message address directly into the FlashAlert system, we recommend that you simply "follow" the FlashAlert account for Oregon Values and Beliefs Center by clicking on the link below and logging in to (or creating) your free Twitter account. Twitter sends messages out exceptionally fast thanks to arrangements they have made with the cell phone companies.
Click here to add Oregon Values and Beliefs Center to your Twitter account or create one.
@OregonVBC
From July 8–16, 2022, the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center conducted a statewide survey to determine Oregonians’ thoughts on abortion in light of the recent Federal Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling. A description of the methodology used for the research is provided below.
The question numbers in this document correspond with the survey questionnaire (Q27-33). Due to rounding, the percentages reported below may not add to 100% or compare exactly to the percentages for the same question in the annotated questionnaire or tabs.
The topic of abortion is personal for most Oregonians; almost three in four people know someone, like a close friend or family member, who has had an abortion, or have had one themselves (70% )(Q28), which is a bit higher than the national average according to a March, 2022 survey conducted by Pew Research Center[1] (59%).
About three in four Oregonians think that abortion should be legal in all or most cases (72%) compared to about one in four Oregonians who think that abortion should be illegal in all or most cases (23%)(Q27).
Oregonians in July of 2022 show stronger support for legal abortion than the country as a whole in March of 20221 (72% compared to 61%).
Women are more likely than men to think abortion should be legal (76% to 67%). College graduates are more likely to think abortion should be legal compared to those with some college or less formal education (80% to 65-71%), Those who did not attend college are less sure if abortion should be legal or illegal compared to those with some college or a college degree under their belt (9% to 2-4% saying they don’t know). There is no difference between income levels as to whether abortion should be legal or illegal.
Oregonians clearly support access to abortion when pregnancy threatens the pregnant person’s life (83%). In other cases, support for access generally declines as pregnancy progresses: 71% support access in the first 6 weeks, 65% support access in the first trimester, and 44% support access in the second trimester (Q33A-D).
Oregonians are the most split when it comes to considering abortion in the second trimester, with 44% supporting access to abortion and 45% opposing access (Q33C).
Multnomah County and those living in the rest of the state come together in agreement when it comes to access to an abortion when the pregnancy threatens the pregnant person’s life (87%, 82%) (Q33D).
A plurality of Oregonians say the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade will not change their voting behavior in the upcoming election (46%). However, of those who say their voting behavior will change (44%), Oregonians are ten times more likely to vote in November (40%) than less likely (4%)(Q29).
Those who are more likely to vote in November are: women (43% compared to 37% of men) and Democrats and Independents (54% and 38% compared to 30% of Republicans). There are no differences between those living in Multnomah County and the rest of the state in the ways in which they predict this will affect their voting behaviors.
If it were put up to a general vote, a majority of Oregonians would vote to reinstate Roe v. Wade (62%) while a little fewer than a quarter of Oregonians would vote to keep Roe v. Wade overturned (22%)(Q30).
Among those who are more likely to keep it overturned are: men (27% compared to 16% of women), white Oregonians (22% compared to 16% of BIPOC Oregonians), rural Oregonians (29% compared to 16% of urban Oregonians), and Oregonians over the age of 75 (42% compared to 13%-15% of Oregonians under the age of 45).
A majority of Oregonians had already given some thought to issues around abortion before the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade (69%)(Q31).
Women are more likely than men to have thought about abortion (74%, 63%).
Those who make $50,000 or more a year (71-79% compared to 63% of those with a lower income), and those with at least a four-year college degree (81% compared to 55-72% of those with less formal education) are more likely to have thought about abortion in the past.
When it comes to the upcoming election in November, Oregonians are almost three times as likely to vote for a pro-choice candidate (58%) than for a pro-life candidate (21%)(Q32).
Men are more likely to vote for a pro-life candidate compared to women (24%, 18%).
Tri-county area and Willamette Valley residents are more likely than those living in the rest of the state to prefer pro-choice candidates (65% and 57% compared to 51%). Conversely, of those living in the rest of the state, 23% prefer pro-life candidates, 10% don’t care, and 12% are undecided.
If it were put up to a general vote, a majority of Oregonians would vote to reinstate Roe v. Wade (62%) while a little fewer than a quarter of Oregonians would vote to keep Roe v. Wade overturned (22%) (Q30).
More men than women would vote to keep Roe v. Wade overturned (27% compared to 16% of women).
For many Oregonians, their views on access to abortion is more nuanced than simply “for” or “against” legalization, as illustrated by their word-for-word responses (Q34-35):
“I do not believe in abortion, but think a woman has the right to determine what happens with her body.”
Woman, age 65-74, Clackamas County, Native American, American Indian
or Alaska Native
“I might oppose having an abortion around 22-24 weeks, if there was universal Healthcare/ better funded social programs AND the ability to successfully gestate a baby outside the womb.”
Woman, age 30-44, Columbia County, Hispanic/Latino/a/x and white
“We should maximize freedom to choose and maximize access to birth control so that abortions are available but rare.”
Man, age 75+, Multnomah County, white
“I believe in bodily autonomy. I would like to see more pro-family laws and regulations put in place and abortions reduced in necessity but access to an abortion must always remain legal.”
Nonbinary or gender non-conforming, age 30-44, Marion County, white
Identifying what unites us. Understanding what divides us.
Reported below are statistically significant subgroup differences between BIPOC and white Oregonians, urban and rural Oregonians, and age groups. Many of these differences are not major and are presented to inform public education and communications initiatives.
OVBC surveys currently use aggregated data to analyze the opinions of BIPOC residents in comparison to the opinions of residents who identify as white and not another race. BIPOC residents are not a monolith; the grouping represents a wide diversity of races and ethnicities. The findings included in this memo should not be construed such that all people of color are believed to share the same opinions. Disaggregated race data will be provided when sample sizes permit reliability.
Methodology: The online survey consisted of 1,572 Oregon residents ages 18+ and took approximately 15 minutes to complete. Respondents were contacted by using professionally maintained online panels. In gathering responses, a variety of quality control measures were employed, including questionnaire pre-testing, validation, and real-time monitoring of responses. To ensure a representative sample, demographic quotas were set, and data weighted by area of the state, gender, age, and education.
Statement of Limitations: Based on a 95% confidence interval, this survey’s margin of error for the full sample ±2.47%. Due to rounding or multiple answer questions, response percentages may not add up to 100%.