Understanding Americans' abortion attitudes: The role of the local religious context |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;3. Institute for Health Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;4. Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;5. Institute of Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;6. Program on Women''s Healthcare Effectiveness Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;1. Indiana University Bloomington, School of Public Health, Bloomington IN, United States;2. Indiana University, The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, Bloomington IN, United States;1. Ipas, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;2. Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, Mexico City, Mexico;3. Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir, Mexico City, Mexico;4. Oregon Health & Science University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Portland, OR, USA;5. Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Centro de Investigacion en Salud Poblacional, Cuernavaca, Mexico |
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| Abstract: | Although abortion became legal over 40 years ago, Americans remain staunchly divided over its acceptability. Personal religious beliefs and behaviors have emerged as some of the most important factors shaping disapproval. Despite religion's importance, very little attention has been given to how the local religious context may shape views and abortion access. Using data from the General Social Survey (N = 6922) that has geographical identifiers, we examine the role of the local religious context for shaping attitudes and the presence of a county abortion clinic. We find that as the level of county religious engagement rises, religious and secular residents alike develop more conservative attitudes. Conversely, as the county Catholic rate increases, moderate and liberal Protestants become more prochoice. While the county conservative Protestant rate has no influence on residents' attitudes, it is the only religious contextual measure that shapes the likelihood that a county has an abortion clinic. |
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