Which Republican Constituencies Support Restrictive Abortion Laws? Comparisons Among Donors, Wealthy, and Mass Publics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6370468 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael Barber (0000-0002-1576-2839, Political Science Department, Brigham Young University Associate Professor, , Provo, UT), Brandice Canes-Wrone (0000-0002-6949-7655, Political Science Department, Stanford University Professor, , Palo Alto, CA), Joshua D Clinton (0000-0003-1683-9479, Political Science Department, Vanderbilt University Professor, , Nashville, TN), Gregory A Huber (0000-0001-6804-8148, Political Science Department, Yale University Professor, , New Haven, CT) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 89 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 289-309 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Public Opinion Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-362X • E-ISSN: 1537-5331 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/poq/nfaf012 |
| OpenAlex | W4411224927 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 31 |
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
Abortion · Biology · Political science · Politics · Pregnancy · Publics · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Reproductive Health and Contraception · Genetics · Law
The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion
The Influence of Campaign Contributions in State Legislatures
The Rational Public
Party Position Change in American Politics
Affluence and Influence
The Impact of Party Control on the Diffusion of Parental Involvement Laws in the U.S. States
Constituents’ Responses to Congressional Roll‐Call Voting
The Gender Conservatism of Pro-life Activists
Representation in Congress
Democratic Responsiveness and Policy Shock
Politics and Morality in State Abortion Policy
Representing the Preferences of Donors, Partisans, and Voters in the US Senate
Inequality and Democratic Responsiveness
What Do Partisan Donors Want
State Political Cultures and Public Opinion About Abortion
Abortion Attitudes
Government policy and citizen passion
Public Opinion and Policymaking in the States
Democracy and the Policy Preferences of Wealthy Americans
A Theory of Political Parties
Out‐of‐District Donors and Representation in the US House
Interest Group Activists and the Polarization of State Legislatures
Predispositions and the Political Behavior of American Economic Elites
Abortion
Leapfrog Representation and Extremism
Does Party Trump Ideology? Disentangling Party and Ideology in America
Elite Influence on Public Opinion in an Informed Electorate
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |