Abortion vs. homosexuality - trends since the 1970s

One of the arguments of some younger social conservatives (e.g., Ross Douthat) is that while the abortion wars are in stasis, the Right is losing ground when it comes to opposition to gay marriage. Is this true? Below are charts from the GSS with each column representing a year, from the mid-1970s to the 2000s (not necessarily every year, but every few years).

i-ad8d4210614da34688da786777bc2717-gssabortion.png
i-ded0744491b53f1009f83df8515ee12c-gsshomose.png
i-13e68e1693c846204661a3c4aa412d5d-gssracemar.png

Looks like Ross is right.

More like this

I wonder how the first graph would look if, instead of "Abortion If Woman Wants For Any Reason", it said something like "Abortion Should Be Prohibited For Any Reason".

I have no data to back it up, but I think the graph might actually have a Leftist trend over the years as more and more people have morally carved out exceptions for rape and incest.

Do you have any data that supports or refutes this?

By doctorgoo (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

I expect that the trends would be even more pronounced among the young. Anecdotally the abortion debate still rages pretty strongly among college-age people, while gay marriage tends to be met with a shrug and a presumption that's it's inevitable.