Reproductive Rights Polling

Methodology

The survey was administered both online and over the phone. The target audience was the general population aged 18+ across the state of Utah. The survey was in field from January 7ththrough January 24th, 2022. The survey was administered via phone and online, with a final split of 75% and 25% respectively. With a final sample size of 800, the margin of error was +/-3.46%. To ensure adequate representation of the population of Utah, quotas were set by both county and age, proportional to the latest population estimates from the US Census Bureau. Data was weighted by age.

Sex Education

• 62% of Utahns would prefer to see Utah’s sex education curriculum provide young people with more information. This is especially important to residents under 34 years old, with 77% supporting an expanded sex education curriculum.
  • After hearing that nine out of ten teens and young adults go online for health information, 22% of Utahns who originally said they preferred the same or less information decided that young people should be provided with more information; 58% said the information should stay the same.
• 53% of Utahns support a “Comprehensive Sex Education” curriculum in Utah schools. Support is driven by Utah’s independent, leaning Democratic and Democratic voters (86% and 81%, respectively), with only 30% of Republicans supporting Comprehensive Sex Education.
• While 63% of Utahns believe that parents and guardians should be the primary educators with regards to sex and reproductive health, they are split about most parents or guardians’ being knowledgeable and willing to educate their children on this topic. 30% of Utahns disagree that most parents or guardians are knowledgeable and willing to educate their children about sex and reproductive health. 27% believe that parents/guardians are knowledgeable and willing.
• The majority of Utahns believe it is important that a wide variety of topics be covered in sex education curriculum. Including birth control (78%), sexually transmitted diseases/infections (89%), HIV prevention (77%), healthy relationships (88%), consent (85%), where to access sexual and reproductive health services (73%), and media literacy (71%).

Abortion

• 55% of Utahns think abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
• 86% of Utahns believe that decisions about pregnancy related healthcare should by made by individuals in consultation with their doctors, as opposed to lawmakers being involved. This majority opinion holds across religious faiths and political affiliations, with 86% of Republicans, 86% of Independents, and 92% of Democrats believing decisions should be made by individuals with their doctors.
• 52% of Utahns would vote to uphold Roe v Wade were it up for reconsideration. The issue is split straight down party lines: 29% of Republicans would vote to uphold, while 83% of Democrats would uphold. The state average is pulled up by Independent voters, of whom 52% would vote to uphold.

• Most Utahns would oppose the state’s trigger ban law taking effect should Roe v. Wade be overturned, with 52% opposing this law compared to 40% supporting it. Opposition to the enactment of this law is strongest amongst young people, with 70% of 18-to 24-year-olds opposing this law taking effect.

• If abortion were not legal in Utah, most residents believe the state should help families with increased social services. This is most popular with younger Utahns, with 73% of residents under age 34 agreeing that services such Medicaid, welfare, and food stamps should be expanded if abortion were not legal.
  • Utahns cite a wide variety of concerns if almost all abortions were to be made illegal in Utah. The number one concern is a potential rise in unsafe, self-induced abortions, with 50% of Utahns mentioning that issue (this was mentioned by 25% of Utahns in 2020). Other common concerns are more children ending up in state custody (43%), negative effects being disproportionately felt by low-income women and disadvantaged groups (41%), a negative life outcome for children of mothers who did not want to carry to term (40%), and an increase in maternal mortality (38%).

Methodology:

The survey was in field from January 23rd through February 9th, 2020. Calls were administered to both landline and cell phone numbers, split 58% to 42%. With a final sample size of 793, the margin of error was +/-3.48%. To ensure adequate representation of the population of Utah, quotas were set by both county and age, proportional to the latest population estimates from the US Census Bureau.

Sex Education

• 65% of Utahns support medically-accurate sex education curriculum in Utah schools, with 51% favoring “Comprehensive sex education” and 14% favoring “Preventative sex education”.

  • Support for medically accurate sex education is driven by Utah’s unaffiliated and Democratic voters (75% and 93%, respectively), with 43% of Republicans in support.

  • By contrast, only 29% of Utahns support an abstinence-centered curriculum, with 21% favoring “Abstinence- based or Abstinence-‘Plus’ sex education” and 8% favoring “Abstinence-only sex education”.

• An overwhelming majority of Utahns believe it is important to cover a wide variety of topics in sex education curriculum.

  • Including sexually transmitted diseases/infections (96%), HIV/AIDS (95%), healthy relationships (95%), consent (91%) and birth control (91%).

Birth Control

• 80% of Utahns believe it is important to provide state funding for reproductive health services including family planning and birth control for lower income individuals.

  • 68% of Republicans and 96% of Democrats believe it is important to provide reproductive health services funding for lower income individuals.

• A third (34%) of Utahns pay for their birth control entirely out-of-pocket.

  • Even accounting for insurance coverage, a plurality of Utahns are paying for their birth control out-of-pocket.

• A majority of Utahns believe individuals under age 18 should have access to confidential health services without parental involvement.

  • 57% of Utahns indicate individuals ought to have access to services such as STD testing, birth control, or pregnancy testing without parental involvement.

Roe v. Wade & Abortion

• A majority (52%) of Utahns would vote to uphold Roe v Wade were it up for reconsideration.

  • Support for Roe v. Wade is highest among Democrats (88%) and unaffiliated voters (61%). By contrast, only 26% of Republicans would vote to uphold Roe.

• Without being informed about Utah’s current restrictions on abortion, 30% of Utahns indicate they want Utah’s laws around abortion to be stricter, while 35% said they want the laws to be less strict. The remaining 35% would prefer the laws remain the same.

• After being informed about Utah’s current restrictions on abortion (i.e. state-directed counseling, 72-hour waiting period, private and public insurance limitations), 80% of Utahns said the state does not need additional restrictions on abortion.

  • Of the 30% of Utahns who initially indicated they want stricter laws, about half (47%) changed their mind and said they do not wish for additional restrictions after hearing the list of current restrictions in place.

  • Among respondents who described themselves as “Conservative” and “Somewhat conservative,” 44% and 49%, respectively, changed their minds and declined to support additional restrictions after learning about the current abortion restrictions in place in Utah.

• Utahns cite a wide variety of concerns if Roe v. Wade was repealed and abortion laws became stricter in Utah.

  • Other common concerns are a negative life outcome for children of mothers who did not want to carry to term (18%), increase in maternal mortality (16%), and more children ending up in state custody (15%).

  • The number one concern is a potential rise in unsafe, self-induced abortions, with 25% of Utahns mentioning that issue.

• A two-thirds majority (65%) of Utahns oppose a law that would require health care providers to read a message written by lawmakers, who lack medical training, before an abortion procedure.