Public Opinion and Policymaking in the States: The Case of Post-Roe Abortion Policy |
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| Authors: | Barbara Norrander Clyde Wilcox |
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| Institution: | Barbara Norrander is professor of political science at the University of Arizona. She is the author of Super Tuesday;and the co-editor, with Clyde Wilcox, of Understanding Public Opinion. Some of her other publications have appeared in the American Journal of Political Science and Political Research Quarterly. Clyde Wilcox is professor of government at Georgetown University. He has written in several areas relating to morality policy, including religion and politics, gender politics, and the politics of abortion. |
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| Abstract: | Whether public opinion should be expected to play a role in the shaping of abortion legislation in the states is a debatable question. Representation is a difficult task, especially if legislators receive mixed cues from the public, activists, and the political parties. In this study, we find that grass-roots activism and public opinion tend to match, and both are reflected in state abortion policy. In addition, more Pro-Life policies are found in states with a tradition of conservative policies in other areas, Republican majorities in the state legislature, more Catholic residents, and fewer women legislators. These patterns hold true for a composite index of abortion policies and for the specific policy area of government funding of abortions. Slightly different patterns occur for parental consent laws, though these statutes also tend to reflect general preferences on abortion and interest group activity in a state. |
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