Abortion Access:
America’s Response to Reversing Roe v. Wade
Supporters associate abortion with a right and freedom to decide.
Voters are shifting blame for restricting access to state and local government.
Research Goals
In June 2022, just hours after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion as we know it, Avalanche fielded rapid response research that included deep listening instruments to a sample of over 5,000 registered voters nationally in partnership with NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation to understand people’s emotional relationship to abortion in this defining moment.
The research sought to: uncover the values, emotions, and internalized narratives driving voters’ views on abortion access; understand how voters are perceiving restrictions to abortion access and how that is impacting urgency to protect abortion access post-Roe; and identify the most resonant messaging pathways to educate and engage Americans.
Methodology
An Avalanche Listening Instrument combines open and closed-ended questions. Open-ended questions provide rich data sets that allow us to analyze beliefs, values, and emotions related to an issue. Closed-ended questions provide clarity and comparability with existing research. We work with industry leading data collection partners to gather targeted samples of respondents.
Compared with results from April 2022 that we released just before the Supreme Court's leaked opinion, the latest numbers show 6% more respondents self-identified that they “personally support a woman’s right to abortion and believe it should be legal and available,” which reflects a meaningful difference in a short period of time.
10-point
increase for both base and conflicted supporters who associate abortion with rights and freedoms.
56%
of respondents say the woman is most harmed when abortion access is inaccessable.
Who is responsible?
In their own words, a plurality of respondents blame politicians for efforts to restrict abortion, and 1 in 5 blame Republicans.
Voters strongly agree that politicians who are working to ban abortion only care about staying in power.
[Villain] Who do you believe are most responsible for efforts to restrict access to abortion, beyond the Supreme Court? (Open)
How are voters reacting post-Roe?
Supporters and opponents alike cite abortion control moving to the state level.
Strong Supporters are more likely to cite the loss of a right & freedom or bodily autonomy; those conflicted are more likely to mention it as ‘illegal and inaccessible.’
[Court interpretation] The Supreme Court just decided to eliminate the constitutional right to an abortion. If a friend were to ask you to explain what this means, what would you say? (Open)
In their own words:
Loss of right and freedom
As an American woman, my country just took my own personal freedom away. I don't feel as patriotic about America as I did a year ago.
- Female, 65+, Biden
The rights of women to choose what's best for them and their body has been taken away. The right to other types of healthcare will soon follow.
- Female, 40-49, Nonvoter
The Supreme Court ruled that babies should be protected, especially when their own mothers won't do it. I just wish there was an easier answer for the mothers.
- Female, 30-39, Trump
Abortion is illegal and inaccessible
That they have taken away our federal right for abortion care and left the decision to the states who will ban abortion and make it a felony for doctors to provide abortions for ANY reason.
- Female, 40-49, Biden
She is a second class citizen who could be forced to complete a pregnancy against her wishes.
- Male, 65+, Biden
That means that women are not allowed to make a choice for their own health care. That means that in any situation a woman is forced to carry a baby that she may not want.
- Female, 18-29, Biden
Loss of bodily autonomy and choice
Basically that women have no control over their bodies and the government needs to mind their own business.
- Female, 40-49, Trump
We no longer have bodily autonomy, the right to choose what we want, or the right to privacy no matter what the circumstances are or if it is life threatening or not. You no longer get to choose if you want to have a child.
- Non-binary, 18-29, Biden
That the Supreme Court used their own beliefs to take away a right over a case that was put in place for the safety of women and health issues that can arise with abortions.
- Female, 50-64, Other
A majority of those who say they intend to vote in 2022 report feeling at least somewhat more motivated due to Roe being overturned.
81% of respondents who support abortion access say they are more motivated to vote.
What values frames resonate the most with target groups?
We tested three values frames: Freedom, Rights, and Empathy for Individual.
Freedom
No matter where a person lives, what they look like, or what they do, everyone should have the freedom to decide what is best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to abortion.
Rights
No matter where a person lives, what they look like, or what they do, every person should have the right to receive the health care they need, including when it comes to abortion.
Empathy for Individual
No matter where a person lives, what they look like, or what they do, every person’s life has its own unique circumstances. People, not politicians, should be able to make their own decisions, including when it comes to abortion care.
Because Freedom resonates with the base and conflicted supporters, we recommend leading messaging with this powerful values-based motivator.
The Empathy frame remains resonant as well, particularly with older and white voters.
Strategic Recommendations
1
Lead with the powerful value of freedom
With limited attention and resources, lead with the freedom to decide.
Freedom is resonating with the base and conflicted supporters, as well as Soft Biden and Soft Trump women.
While ‘rights’ is valid, it may be getting a boost from what people are hearing in the news rather than reflecting a powerful values-based motivator.
2
Drive empathy and urgency with a broad range of stories
There is increasing awareness of and concern for people facing health and safety issues related to pregnancy and birth.
Drive activating emotions and deeper empathy by showing the full range of stories that demonstrate the reality people are facing right now.
3
Double down on uncaring politicians who only want to stay in power
Focus on villains’ motivations to illuminate how at-odds they are with the vast majority of voters’ values. Be specific.
Add the narrative layer that demonstrates the many ways the GOP doesn’t support families. Show the great lengths they have already gone to to keep their special interests and the extreme Right happy, regardless of the consequences on Americans.
3
Channel determination to invigorate the fight
Celebrate how motivated people say they are feeling to vote for pro-choice candidates in November!
Build on this momentum by channeling the determination we’re hearing – and using a determined tone in messaging.
Showing collective action could help individual actions feel more commensurate with the scale of the problem, thereby increasing the appetite for them.
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