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Abstract

In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, debates have emerged across the United States over abortion restrictions, yet little research has examined public knowledge about pregnancy fundamentals in this context. We assessed Americans’ understanding of how pregnancies are dated and the typical length of a trimester, and examined the relationship between this pregnancy knowledge and abortion attitudes. In a September 2023 national survey (N = 1356), we found low levels of pregnancy knowledge, with only 25% of Americans correctly answering both fact-based questions about pregnancy. Those with statistically lower levels of pregnancy knowledge were men, those with lower education levels, Evangelical Christians, and those who scored high on hostile sexism. In regression analyses controlling for demographics, partisanship, and religiosity, higher pregnancy knowledge was significantly associated with greater support for legal abortion and confidence in women to use abortion exceptions appropriately. The findings suggest that a meaningful proportion of support for abortion restrictions is linked to misunderstandings about the biological realities of pregnancy.

Keywords

public opinion abortion United States political behavior

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