WEA Poll Released June 2014

8/12/2019 WEA Poll Released June 2014

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New Poll: Womens Equality ActNot Controversial Among Voters

Majorities Support, Including Abortion Rights Protections

June 10, 2014 - The National Institute for Reproductive Health commissioned

PerryUndem Research/Communication to conduct a statewide survey of voters on their

views toward the Womens Equality Act. The survey gauged support for individual

proposals, such as having stronger laws to ensure equal pay for equal work, protecting a

womans right to decide to have an abortion, and strengthening human trafficking

laws. The poll found majorities of support for the Act, and a 50-point margin forincluding abortion protections in the Act versus excluding them. A majority of voters

say they would feel disappointed and a third would be angry if the New York State

Senate does not pass this plan before ending their session.

The survey was conducted among n = 802 registered voters statewide from May 20 to

26, 2014. The survey was administered by telephone including landlines and cell

phones. The margin of sampling error is + 3.5 percentage points.

Key findings include:

The Womens Equality Act is not controversial among voters large majorities(84 percent) support the Act after hearing a series of proposals included in the

Act.

Support for the Womens Equality Act crosses all demographic segments, partyaffiliations, and regions of the state.

New York is a pro-choice state; most voters support Roe v. Wade(78 percent).Therefore, it is not surprising that 77 percent of voters support the specific point

in the 10-point plan that protects a womans rightto have an abortion.


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By a 50-point margin, voters side with elected officials who want to pass the 10-point plan that includes protecting a womans right to have an abortion

compared to elected officials who want to take out this protection and pass a 9-

point plan (73 percent vs. 23 percent).

The Womens Equality Actappears to be a voting issue. Sixty-eight percent ofvoters say they would be more likely to vote to re-elect their elected official if he

or she supported the 10-point Womens Equality Act (vs. 20 percent who say less

likely to vote to re-elect). Only nine percent says this issue would not make a

difference in their vote.

When asked how they would feel if the New York State Senate did not pass theWomens Equality Act before ending the session in June, a majority of voters (63

percent) say they would be disappointed, followed by one-third (34 percent)

saying angry.

Following are detailed findings.


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After hearing these ideas, a majority of voters support the Womens Equality Act.

Eight-four percent support the Act, including 61 percent who express strong support.

One in ten voters (11 percent) oppose the act. (See Figure 1.)

Q. Based on the ideas you just heard, would you support or oppose the governors Womens Equality Act?(Is that strongly or somewhat support/oppose?)

Majorities across all demographic groups, party affiliations, and regions of the state

support the Womens Equality Act.(See Table 2.)


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Table 2: Support or Oppose the Womens Equality Act

% Support % Oppose

Total 84 11

Men 79 15Women 89 7

White 81 12

African American 92 5

Democrat 94 3

Independent 79 16

Republican 76 17

Unmarried women 87 6

Five boroughs 90 5

Suburbs/Long Island 86 8

Upstate West 75 21Upstate East 75 18

NYC/Suburbs/Long Island men 84 10

NYC/Suburbs/Long Island women 92 4

Upstate men 69 25

Upstate women 81 13


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By a 57-point margin, voters support the point in the Womens Equality Act that

protects a womans right have an abortion.Seventy-seven percent of voters say they

support the point of the Womens Equality Act that protects a womans right to have an

abortion, including if her health is at risk later in pregnancy. Twenty-percent oppose

this part of the Act (See Figure 2.)

Q. One of the points in the Governors 10-point plan is protecting a womans right to decide to have anabortion, including if her health is at risk later in pregnancy. The Governor proposes that the New York

law should reflect the protections recognized in the landmark Roe v. Wade case. Do you support or

oppose this point of the 10-point plan to protect a womans right to have an abortion?


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Table 3: Support or Oppose Point to Protect a Womans

Right to Have an Abortion

% Support % Oppose

Total 77 20

Men 74 23Women 79 17

White 75 21


Democrat 88 10

Independent 72 26

Republican 62 33


Five boroughs 80 19


Upstate West 60 35

Upstate East 73 23



Upstate men 69 29

Upstate women 66 28

One of the reasons New York voters support this protection in the Womens Equality

Act is that they are largely pro-choice. Nearly eight in ten New York voters (78 percent)

support Roe v. Wade; 19 percent oppose. (See Figure 3.)


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Q. Regardless of how you feel about the Womens Equality Act, would you say you tend to support or oppose

Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that said a woman has a right to have a legal abortion?


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Table 4: Support or Oppose Roe v. Wade

% Support % Oppose

Total 78 19

Men 76 20

Women 80 17White 77 20


Democrat 88 10

Independent 74 22

Republican 63 31


Five boroughs 83 13


Upstate West 62 33

Upstate East 75 20



Upstate men 68 27

Upstate women 71 24


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Additionally, 81 percent of voters think a womans ability to control whether or when

she has children is an important part of equality for women. (See Figure 4.)

Q. Do you think a womans ability to control whether or when she has children is an important part ofequality for women?


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Table 5: Importance of Controlling Whether and When to Have Children

% Very

important

% Somewhat

important

% Not

important

Total 63 18 15Men 59 22 16

Women 66 14 14

White 62 17 16

African American 71 15 10

Democrat 72 13 12

Independent 59 23 14

Republican 52 20 24

Unmarried women 63 19 14

Five boroughs 66 18 14

Suburbs/Long Island 65 16 14

Upstate West 52 21 15

Upstate East 62 18 17

NYC/Suburbs/Long Island men 61 23 14

NYC/Suburbs/Long Island women 69 12 14

Upstate men 55 20 18

Upstate women 60 19 14


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Voters side with elected officials who support the 10-point plan with abortion

protections.The poll described a debate happening among elected officials who

support the 10-point plan and those who want to vote on a 9-point plan that excludes

protections for abortion:

There is talk right now between two groups of elected officials. Tell me which one you

agree with more.

Elected officials who support the 10-point plan say that a womans ability to decide

whether or when she has a child is central to her ability to get an education, help earn an

income for her and her family, and be as healthy as she can be. This is why they support

the 10-point plan that includes protecting a womans right to have an abortion.

Other elected officials want to vote on a 9-point plan instead of a 10-point plan. Their 9-

point plan would take out the point about protecting a womans right to have an abortion.These elected officials personally disagree with abortion and do not want to protect that

right.

Which elected officials do you agree with morethose who want the 10-point plan or

those who want the 9-point plan?

By a margin of 50-points, New York voters agree more with elected officials who

support the 10-point plan (73 percent) compared to those who want the 9-point plan (23

percent). (See Figure 5.)


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Table 6: Agree with 10-Point Plan or 9-Point Plan without Abortion Rights

% Agree w/

10 point plan

% Agree w/

9 point plan

Total 73 23

Men 69 26Women 76 20

White 71 24


Democrat 86 13

Independent 68 27

Republican 56 37


Five boroughs 80 19


Upstate West 58 36

Upstate East 66 25

NYC/Suburbs/Long Island men 73 24NYC/Suburbs/Long Island women 82 16

Upstate men 61 32

Upstate women 63 29


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Voters are more likely to vote to re-elect an elected official if he or she supported

the 10-point Womens Equality Act.Sixty-eight percent say they would be more likely

to vote to re-elected their representative if he or she supported the Womens Equality

Act 46 percent much more likely. Twenty percent of voters say they would be less

likely to vote to re-elect.

Q. If your elected official supported the 10-point plan, would you be more or less likely to vote to re-electhim or her? (Would you be much more/less or just somewhat more/less likely?)

Voters across all demographic groups, party affiliations, and regions of the state say

they are more likely to support than oppose their elected official if he or she passed the

10-point Womens Equality Act. (See Table 7.)


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Table 7: More or less likely to vote to re-elect if support 10-point plan

% More

likely to vote

for

% Less likely

to vote for

% Makes no

difference

Total 68 20 9Men 63 22 11

Women 72 17 7

White 65 21 9

African American 78 13 8

Democrat 85 10 4

Independent 63 22 10

Republican 42 35 15

Unmarried women 77 13 8

Five boroughs 75 13 8

Suburbs/Long Island 72 20 5

Upstate West 49 32 12

Upstate East 60 21 13

NYC/Suburbs/Long Island men 69 18 9

NYC/Suburbs/Long Island women 78 15 5

Upstate men 52 31 14

Upstate women 59 21 11

If the New York State Senate does not pass the Womens Equality Act before the

session ends in June, a majority of voters say they would feel disappointed.When

asked how they would feel if the New York State Senate did not pass the Womens

Equality Act before ending the session in June, a majority of voters (63 percent) say

they would be disappointed, followed by one-third (34 percent) saying angry.


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Q. The New York State Assembly has passed the Womens Equality Act, but the State Senate has refused to

put it to a vote. If the New York State Senate does not pass this plan before ending their session this June,

would you feel [angry, disappointed, happy, hopeful, or something else]?

Documents

WEA Poll Released June 2014