Which Republican Constituencies Support Restrictive Abortion Laws? Comparisons Among Donors, Wealthy, and Mass Publics

Abstract Roe vs. Wade (1973) recognized a constitutional right to abortion under various circumstances and, in doing so, facilitated a political environment in which politicians could endorse more restrictive abortion policies that Roe prohibited. Indeed, many states enacted “trigger” laws that would only carry the force of law if Roe were overturned. The Supreme Court in Dobbs vs. Jackson (2022) removed the constitutional right to abortion, ending a situation in which this type of position taking lacked policy consequences and creating an environment in Republican-led states where many policies seemingly contrast with public opinion. To investigate potential sources of support for a variety of types of restrictions, we analyze an original survey of over 7,500 verified donors, 1,500 affluent individuals, and 1,000 members of the general public conducted in 2019–2020. The most extreme restrictions, such as bans with no rape exception, are not popular with Republicans in the aggregate from any of the three groups—Republican donors, affluent individuals, or voters—but they are supported by the small and potentially influential group of highly religious Republicans who report that abortion is one of their most important issues.