Poll: Young women highly motivated to vote by abortion, women’s rights issues

A new poll of young women in nine battleground states illustrates the concerns over abortion and women’s rights as voters are heading to the polls in the 2022 midterms.

Fifty-five percent of women 18-29 in the poll – commissioned by Ms. magazine and Feminist Majority Foundation and conducted by by Lake Research Partners – say abortion and women’s rights combined are the top issues that will determine their votes.

And among the young women surveyed, Democrats hold a nearly 20-point edge in the generic congressional ballot.

“Despite constant reports in the media on inflation and rising prices as the top issues in this election, abortion and women’s rights are actually the most important for young women as they head to the ballot box,” said Katherine Spillar, executive editor of Ms. magazine. “The overturning of Roe v. Wade has lit a fire under women voters, and especially young women voters, who have the power to determine close elections.”

The poll also measured the intensity of motivation to vote emanating from the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs that overturned a half-century of precedent from Roe v. Wade protecting a woman’s right to choose.

Thirty-five percent of pro-abortion rights voters said they will prioritize women’s rights and abortion in their vote decisions, compared to 10 percent of anti-abortion voters, bucking the conventional wisdom that the Supreme Court ruling could have a canceling out effect.

“The message from women voters is clear: the Equal Rights Amendment is more important than ever, especially for young women who are most affected by the Court’s decision,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of Feminist Majority Foundation and a long-time leader in the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment.

“Voters – especially women voters – now know that rights can be taken away and want an amendment to the US Constitution guaranteeing that rights cannot be ‘denied or abridged on account of sex.’”

The polling shows that 74 percent of young women support the Equal Rights Amendment, with 72 percent saying it is “personally” important to them now that various states are banning abortion.

The full analysis of the survey of young voters in battleground states can be found here.

The full analysis of all likely voters in battleground states can be found here.