Pew Research: Public Takes "Conservative" Turn on Gun Control, Abortion

[derby378]

Public attitudes on a pair of contentious national issues - gun control and abortion - have moved in a more conservative direction over the past year. In both cases, the changes have been driven in part by relatively large shifts among men, while opinions among women have not changed very much.

For the first time in a Pew Research survey, nearly as many people believe it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns (45%) than to control gun ownership (49%). As recently as a year ago, 58% said it was more important to control gun ownership while 37% said it was more important to protect the right to own guns.

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted March 31-April 21 among 1,521 adults reached on landlines and cell phones, also finds public opinion about abortion more closely divided than it has been in several years. Currently, 46% say abortion should be legal in most cases (28%) or all cases (18%); 44% believe that abortion should be illegal in most (28%) or all cases (16%). Since the mid-1990s, majorities have consistently favored legal abortion, with the exception of an August 2001 survey by ABC News/Washington Post.

The proportion saying that abortion should be legal in all or most cases has declined to 46% from 54% last August. The decline in support for legal abortion has come entirely in the share saying abortion should be legal in most cases (from 37% to 28%); 18% say abortion should be legal in all cases, which is virtually unchanged from last August (17%). Currently, 44% say abortion should be illegal in most (28%) or all cases (16%), up slightly since last August (41%).

http://people-press.org/report/513/public-takes-conservative-turn-on-gun-control-abortion

I gotta say - the trend on abortion worries me a bit.

[ananda]

1. Choice needs to be protected fully NOW!

It needs to be a priority.

[-..__...]

7. So does the 2nd amendment.

How do we archive both?

[sinkingfeeling]

2. How the hell does 45% and 44% become more than 49% and 46%?

"Public attitudes on a pair of contentious national issues - gun control and abortion - have moved in a more conservative direction over the past year.


For the first time in a Pew Research survey, nearly as many people believe it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns (45%) than to control gun ownership (49%).


Currently, 46% say abortion should be legal in most cases (28%) or all cases (18%); 44% believe that abortion should be illegal in most (28%) or all cases (16%)."

[Bok_Tukalo]

3. The window into the womb is becoming clearer

I expect opposition to abortion to grow over the years.

[krabigirl]

4. Weird. So these people want people to own deadly weapons, but not have abortions.

[get the red out]

5. The abortion trend is worrisome

But probably at least some of those surveyed would say that because of their church but never vote for a Republican due to not being white and not wanting to elect white supremicist SOB's.

[Captain Hilts]

6. Women's bodies are part of the public domain and women's rights negotiable. nt