Fewer NC adults opposed to additional abortion restrictions, WRAL News Poll finds
Fewer North Carolina adults are opposed tighter abortion restrictions than six months ago, according to an exclusive WRAL News Poll. The results are a reversal from March, when a bigger share of respondents opposed more bans on the procedure.
A state law enacted last year bans most abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy, while allowing for some exceptions, such as for rape or incest. The new law reduced the window from 20 weeks.
The WRAL News Poll, conducted from Sept. 4 through Sept. 7, asked 900 North Carolina adults whether they’d support a law that bans abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy.
Forty-three percent of respondents supported the idea, 39% opposed it and 17% said they weren’t sure, according to the poll, which was conducted by independent polling firm SurveyUSA.
The results are somewhat similar to a WRAL News Poll conducted in March, but this time the supporters outweighed the opponents. In the March poll, 43% of respondents supported a six-week ban, 44% opposed it, and 14% were unsure. The September poll represented a five point decrease in opponents.
The September poll question had a credibility interval of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. A credibility interval is similar to a margin of error but takes into account more factors and is considered by some pollsters to be a more accurate measurement of statistical certainty.
Abortion laws have been a key theme in the gubernatorial race in North Carolina.
Republican nominee Mark Robinson has advocated for a range of tighter restrictions. He called it murder as recently as 2021, and has said that he opposes exceptions to to the law for issues such as rape or incest. He has more recently moderated his views, saying he does support those exceptions. He also recently said he supported a ban after six weeks, rather than a full ban. A recent ad expresses support for the current 12-week ban, but doesn’t say whether he’d still support further restrictions.
Democrat Josh Stein, meanwhile, has sought to lure moderate voters who might be less inclined to support a more restrictive ban. Stein’s campaign has said he supports the framework that was in place under Roe v. Wade. The since-overturned 1973 Supreme Court decision allowed for abortion to be legal to the point of fetal viability, meaning when an infant can survive outside the womb. Physicians say that usually happens between the 22nd and 24th week of pregnancy.
Robinson is the state’s lieutenant governor. Stein is the state’s attorney general. The results could reflect the complexities of surveying Americans about abortion. While U.S. opinion on abortion has mostly remained stable over the years, the specific wording of poll questions can affect the outcome.
Historically, North Carolinians polled on abortion have opposed the idea of a ban after the sixth week of pregnancy, said David McLennan, director of the Meredith Poll at Meredith College in Raleigh.
“When we polled the issue before the [legislature] passed the current bill, the plurality of respondents wants 15 weeks as the cut off,” McLennan told WRAL.
Abortion has also been a focus of the presidential election.
In recent months, Republican Donald Trump has attempted to pivot to the middle on reproductive rights. In 2022, Republicans in the U.S. Senate introduced a bill that would ban abortion nationwide after the 15th week of pregnancy. In April, Trump said he won’t sign a national abortion ban.
That’s an effort to win the votes of suburban women, who are considered a key demographic in the North Carolina elections, political analysts have said.
“Urban and rural voters are probably locked into their positions,” McLennan said. “But, the more confusion and chaos around the abortion issue — particularly among Trump, and with Harris being very adamant about her position — suburban women are going to be really key for determining the outcome of this election.”
The March WRAL poll showed abortion to be a top motivator of voters who supported President Joe Biden, who has since dropped his bid for reelection. More than one-third of Biden supporters gave it the highest possible priority, about twice the 18% of Trump supporters who said the same.
However, so few Republican voters viewed abortion as a top priority that it ranked last overall among all voters in the state.
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