Poll Shows Ohio Voters Want Abortion Rights Protected
A Suffolk University/Cincinnati Enquirer poll shows a majority of likely midterm voters in Ohio want to protect access to legal abortion, although economic concerns dominated as the most important issue on the minds of Ohio voters.
Heading into the November midterm elections, which will include US Senate and governor’s contests, Republicans J.D. Vance and incumbent Governor Mike DeWine are leading their respective Democratic opponents. When asked about the US Senate race, likely voters said their top concerns are the economy (23%) and inflation (20%). Abortion rights was the third most important issue on the minds of voters at 11%.
Fewer than one in four voters view abortion rights as the key issue determining their vote, while 51% said that it is an important issue but not the most important. A smaller group of Republicans (17%) and Democrats (34%) said abortion rights was the most important issue determining their vote.
Of all likely voters polled, 53% of respondents wanted to protect abortion rights in Ohio, while 39% want the state legislature to restrict abortions, if Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court. Nearly six in ten voters (59%) said they personally know a family member or friend who has had an abortion.
Ohio Voters' Support for Protecting Abortion Rights
Democrats and independents are aligned on the abortion issue, with 85% of Democrats and 60% of independents wanting the Ohio state legislature to protect abortion rights. On the Republican side only 21% of respondents support protecting abortion rights and 78% support restricting abortions in Ohio.
Standard of Living
Compared to a June 2018 Ohio midterm poll, likely voters in the Buckeye state see their standard of living as having declined. According to today’s poll, more people said their standard of living is worse off (43%) compared to better off (14%). In 2018, the responses to the exact same question were 26% better off and 19% worse off.
Economic Conditions in Ohio
More than twice as many respondents described economic conditions as “poor” than a similar group did four years (27% versus 12%), and nearly eight in ten midterm voters now describe economic conditions as fair or poor, compared to 53% in 2018.
| Rating | 2018 | 2022 | Change |
|
Excellent |
7% | 1% | (-6%) |
| Good | 37% | 20% | (-17%) |
| Fair | 41% | 51% |
(+10%) |
| Poor | 12% | 27% | (+15%) |
Methodology
The statewide survey of 500 Ohio likely midterm voters was conducted May 22-24 using live telephone interviews of households where respondents indicated they were very or somewhat likely to vote in the November 2022 general election for governor and US Senate. Each area’s quota and demographic information—including party affiliation, gender, race, and age—was determined from midterm exit polls and 2020 census data. The 88 Ohio counties were grouped into five general regions. The margin of sampling error for results based on the total sample is +/-4.4 percentage points. Marginals and full cross-tabulation data are posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center website. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310, [email protected].
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