The Week in Charts

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

The Week in Charts

Welcome to The Week in Charts, where we break down Gallup's latest insights on our constantly evolving world. Here are the five insights you shouldn't miss this week:

1. Where Is the Public on Roe v. Wade?

Line Chart: 58% of Americans would not like to see the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, while 35% would like to see it overturned.

With a renewed focus on the landmark 1973 abortion decision, we checked in with the public on where it stands. The majority of Americans (58%) would prefer that Roe v. Wade not be overturned; the same proportion of Republicans would like to see it overturned, while 80% of Democrats would not. Partisan views are sharply polarized on the issue in the wake of the leaked opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson.
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2. Does It Matter for November?

Line Chart: 27% of Americans say a political candidate must share their views on abortion to earn their vote in 2022.

We also wanted to gauge to what degree the recent focus on abortion rights would have on people's voting intentions in November's midterm elections. More voters than in any past election year indicate that abortion will be an important factor in their vote. The data hint at a possible boost for the left in November, given Democrats' greater propensity to say abortion will be critical to their vote. We also saw pro-choice identification climb to a near-record high.
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3. Acceptability of Same-Sex Marriage Continues Its Rise

Line Chart: 71% of Americans think that marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid in 2022.

Seventy-one percent of Americans, a new numeric high, now say marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid. This is a far cry from when we first asked the question in 1996, when 27% supported recognizing same-sex matrimony. While most older adults, Protestants and Republicans now support same-sex unions, those who frequently attend church continue to be the primary demographic holdout.
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4. Iran and the Nuclear Threat

Infographic: 76% – Americans who view Iran developing weapons as a critical threat.

With the steam behind renewed Iran nuclear deal negotiations (the artist formerly known as JCPOA) earlier this year running out, and ship standoffs between Iran and the West finally over, we looked at whether Americans view Iran developing nuclear weapons as a critical threat to the U.S. Spoiler alert: They do, ranking it near the top of a list of critical threats, along with cyberterrorism and North Korean nuclear development.
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5. What Is Morally Acceptable These Days?

Bar Chart: The top 5 issues that Americans view as morally acceptable, regardless of legality, are birth control, divorce, sex outside of marriage, gay/lesbian relations, and gambling.

We've also just updated our annual trends on the moral acceptability of various issues and behaviors in American society. From birth control to divorce, many of yesteryear's taboos have gone mainstream in terms of their moral acceptability. While things like the death penalty and doctor-assisted suicide still split America down the middle, other issues now have consensus support or remain off-limits. The least moral act, at least on this list — cheating on a spouse.
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And that's The Week in Charts!

Mohamed Younis
Editor-in-Chief
Gallup

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