Abortion top issue motivating protesters: Gallup
Almost a third of Americans consider abortion to be their greatest motivator to protest in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.
The survey found that 31 percent of respondents said they were most likely to protest in favor of or against abortion rights or Planned Parenthood, more than any other issue. By comparison, only 6 percent of respondents listed abortion in a 2018 poll on motivators for protesting.
Other top issues in the new survey were law enforcement or Black Lives Matter, listed by 22 percent of respondents, women’s rights, at 19 percent, and civil or equal rights, at 11 percent. Government or political issues were considered a motivator for 10 percent of those surveyed.
In 2018, no single issue was most significantly motivating protesters, but 17 percent of those surveyed said they would protest for women’s rights as the #MeToo movement spread throughout the country.
Immigration was listed by 13 percent at the time amid former President Trump’s updates to the country’s immigration policies and pushes to build a wall on the southern border, but only 1 percent of respondents listed it in this year’s poll. Thirteen percent listed gun control and the Second Amendment in 2018, but just 8 percent agreed this year.
Gallup’s latest analysis states that some respondents chose issues that currently upset them, but others chose issues from the past. It states that sharp changes that have occurred since 2018 indicate that recent events are the most influential in when someone chooses to protest.
The poll found that liberals are significantly more likely to protest than conservatives and moderates, with 62 percent of liberals saying they have felt the urge to organize or join a public protest. Only 36 percent of moderates and 26 percent of conservatives said the same.
Protesting is also more likely among wealthier individuals, with 52 percent of those making $100,000 annually or more saying they have felt the urge to protest. Fewer than 40 percent of those making $40,000 to $99,999 and about 20 percent of those making less than $40,000 said they considered it.
The poll was conducted from July 5 to 26 among 1,013 U.S. adults. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.
–Updated at 9:04 a.m.
Source: TEST FEED1
