Thursday, January 17, 2013

Pew Forum survey on abortion finds Pew can't accurately describe Roe v. Wade and millennials are incredibly ignorant

I've always thought that surveys looking for public opinion on Roe v. Wade were next to useless because the vast majority of people don't actually know what Roe did and the survey is unlikely to provide an accurate description. The latest Pew Forum survey confirms my belief.

Here's how they describe Roe:
"In 1973 the Roe versus Wade decision established a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, at least in the first three months of pregnancy. Would you like to see the Supreme Court completely overturn its Roe versus Wade decision, or not?"
Why do media outlets continue to lie about Roe only allowing abortions for the first 3 months? Have they ever had to defend this absurd description?

What might be even more depressing is that large swaths of the public (especially the under 30 crowd) have no clue what Roe v. Wade is.
Among those younger than 30, just 44% know that the case was about abortion; 16% say it dealt with school desegregation, and 41% either say it dealt with another issue (the death penalty or the environment), or do not know.

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