The majority of Americans do not want Roe v. Wade overthrown, CBS News survey

Two-thirds of Americans want Roe v. Wade is left in place, and most advocates of this opinion would be disappointed or unhappy if the decision was rescinded one day, reveals a new poll by CBS News. Recent state laws restricting abortion have sparked speculation as to whether the Supreme Court might one day revisit the decision.

If Roe v. Wade was upset, almost twice as many Americans said they would be dissatisfied or angry as happy or satisfied. A quarter of them say that it would not be much of importance.

Most people who want the Supreme Court to quash the Roe v. Wade would be happy (35%) or satisfied (31%) if that happened. Among those who want Roe v. Wade be maintained in the state, a majority would be dissatisfied or angry if the decision were to be overturned, including 44% who said that they would be angry.

Opinions on abortion divide supporters as they have for years, but Republicans disagree about whether Roe v. Wade, in particular, must be knocked down.

A plurality of Republicans would impose stricter abortion limits, instead of banning them, and they will probably want to leave Roe there. Republicans who say abortion should not be allowed (a third of the party) also want Roe to be overthrown.

The party is more related to opinions on abortion than gender. And overall, men and women have similar views on what should happen with Roe v. Wade.

Thirty-eight percent of women say they are angry if Roe v. Wade are upset, compared to 24% of men.

Most Americans (79%) have at least heard about recent state legislation, and nearly half have heard a lot about it.

This survey was conducted by telephone from May 17 to 20, 2019 from a random sample of 1,101 adults across the country. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. Phone numbers were dialed from standard landline and cell phone samples.

The survey used a random numbering methodology. For the landline sample, one respondent was randomly selected from all adults in the household. For the cell sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone.

The interviews were conducted in English and Spanish using live interviewers. The data were weighted to reflect US Census data on demographic variables.

The error due to sampling results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus four percentage points. The error for subgroups can be higher and is available on request. The margin of error includes the effects of standard weighting procedures that slightly widen the sampling error. This release is in accordance with the disclosure standards of the National Council on Public Polls.