An Ipsos poll has revealed that young British men are half as likely to support abortion in most cases compared to their elders. It also found that most people support the current 24-week abortion limit. “It’s clear that public opinion is far from monolithic, demanding a nuanced approach to this sensitive issue”, said an Ipsos pollster.
Conducted by Ipsos, the survey polled 1,062 British adults aged 16 to 75 between 16th and 20th May 2025.
46 per cent of British males aged 16 to 34 say that abortion should be legal in most cases, compared to 71 per cent of the rest of the population.
Overall, 38 per cent of the British public think abortion should be legal in some cases, and 33 per cent in all cases.
13 per cent of the British public believe abortion should be illegal in most cases, and 4 per cent in all cases.
Regarding the current 24-week limit on most abortions, nearly half (47 per cent) of Britons think it is “about right”. 24 per cent state it is too late. Just 4 per cent think it is too early.
On illegal abortions, over half of Britons (55 per cent) believe that the person who conducts the abortion should be penalised. Around a third (32 per cent) state that the woman should face a penalty, and slightly more (37 per cent) believe that the person who arranged the abortion should be punished.
Commenting on the poll, Ipsos’s Kate Duxbury said: “While the majority of Britons support legal abortion, with seven in ten in favour, our polling reveals a significant fault line: less than half of young men aged 16-34 agree.
“This divergence, coupled with the fact that around half of Britons think the current 24-week limit is ‘about right’, highlights the complexities facing policymakers as they consider decriminalisation. It’s clear that public opinion is far from monolithic, demanding a nuanced approach to this sensitive issue.”
A separate poll commissioned by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) found that most of the British public still believes in upholding legal protections for unborn children and their mothers.
67 per cent of respondents agreed with the SPUC poll statement that “Abortion is a matter of life and death, and it is therefore appropriate that the criminal law provides a clear boundary to protect everyone involved.” Just 14 per cent disagreed.
The polls came ahead of votes on two amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill that, if approved, would decriminalise abortion. The votes will take place today (17 June) and tomorrow.
MP Tonia Antoniazzi’s NC1 amendment seeks to decriminalise abortion by removing women from the criminal law related to abortion. This would mean that a woman who induced her abortion at home using pills (or any other method) at any stage of pregnancy, including just before natural birth, would not commit a crime.
NC20, tabled by MP Stella Creasy, would remove offences in the Abortion Act, meaning that abortion could be carried out for any reason, including the sex of the baby. There would also be no way to bring an abusive partner who causes the death of an unborn baby to justice.
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