Poll Examines Minorities' Views on Abortion, Contraception

July 30, 2012 — The Public Religion Research Institute on Thursday released results from a poll that asked blacks and Hispanics about their attitudes on birth control, abortion and to what extent their religion influences their opinions on those issues, the Washington Post's "On Faith" reports.

According to the poll, 67% of black respondents said they believed abortion should be legal in all or most cases and 30% said it should be illegal in all or most cases. Among Hispanic respondents, 46% said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 51% said it should not.

Hispanics were more likely than blacks to link their moral views on abortion to whether they thought it should be legal. According to the poll, 73% of Hispanics who believe abortion is morally wrong said it should be illegal in all or most cases. Fifty-two percent of blacks who consider abortion to be morally wrong said it should be illegal in all or most cases.

When asked if they felt abortion was a critical issue facing the U.S., 30% of Hispanic respondents said it was, compared with 17% of black respondents. The poll also found that 78% of black respondents and 60% of Hispanic respondents said they believe they can disagree with their church on abortion and remain in good standing in their faith.

The poll also examined respondents' attitudes on birth control. Ninety-two percent of blacks and 85% of Hispanics supported expanding access to birth control for women who cannot afford it. In both groups, 81% said they can have different views than the church on contraception and still be in good standing (Markoe, "On Faith," Washington Post, 7/26).