62 percent of young adults wouldn’t live in state with abortion ban: Survey

May 7, 2024

A majority of young adults say they would not live in a state that has banned abortion, according to a new survey released Tuesday.

In the CNBC/Generation Lab poll of 1,033 adults ages 18-34, a total of 62 percent say they would “probably not” (32 percent) or “definitely not” (30 percent) live in a state that bans abortion.

Only slightly more than a third of respondents, 38 percent, say either that they “definitely” (17 percent) or “probably” (21 percent) would live in a state that bans abortion, when asked the same question.

The findings similarly indicate this prevailing sentiment could influence future employment decisions, though perhaps to a lesser extent than decisions on where respondents would live.

Just over half, 55 percent, indicate they would not be dissuaded from accepting a job offer from an employer whose state bans abortion, including 35 percent who say they would “probably not” reject the offer and 20 percent who would “definitely not” reject it.

Just under half, 45 percent, say they would either “definitely” (14 percent) or “probably” (31 percent) reject the job offer if the potential employer’s state banned abortions.

The survey did not ask whether respondents would apply to jobs in those states to begin with.

Since the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to an abortion in its 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, states have taken steps to pass their own laws to either protect or further restrict access to abortion.

In 21 states, new restrictions have taken effect that either ban abortion completely or limit access earlier in pregnancy than the standard set by Roe v. Wade.

The survey was conducted between April 26 and May 2 and has a margin of error +/- 3.1 percentage points.