A Bipartisan Majority of Voters Support Expanding Access to Birth Control
By Anika Dandekar and Evangel Penumaka
The leaked Supreme Court draft majority opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade has raised questions of accessibility to contraceptive options. A new poll by Data for Progress and Contraceptive Access Initiative, conducted shortly after the leak, examined voters' support for one such option: access to birth control pills over the counter. Voters across parties overwhelmingly support access to the pill without needing a doctor’s prescription, and a majority of voters want the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to move forward with allowing the pill to be sold over the counter. We also find that this is an important issue electorally: A majority of voters across parties would vote for a candidate who supports expanding access to birth control in general.
Voters Support Access to Birth Control Without a Prescription
We first asked voters for their support for allowing birth control pills to be sold over the counter without a prescription in pharmacies, grocery stores, or online. Voters enthusiastically support over-the-counter access to birth control pills by a +48-point margin (71 percent support, 23 percent oppose). Notably, we find support among voters across parties: Democrats by a +60-point margin, Independents by a +44-point margin, and Republicans by a +32-point margin. We also find consistent support for over-the-counter birth control by gender. Women and men support this proposal by a +49-point margin and a +45-point margin, respectively.
Next, we looked at voter opinions regarding the role of the FDA to authorize over-the-counter access to the pill. Voters strongly believe that the FDA should allow birth control pills to be sold over the counter, with 75 percent supporting the concept and only 18 percent opposing it. Again, support extends across party lines: 84 percent of self-identified Democratic voters, 70 percent of Independents, and 70 percent of Republicans believe the FDA should approve the pill to be sold over the counter. Support for approval is consistent by gender as well: 76 percent of women and 75 percent of men believe that the FDA should allow over-the-counter access.
Voters Would Overwhelmingly Vote for Candidates Who Support Birth Control Access
Lastly, we tested how salient the issue is in terms of vote choice. By a +58-point margin, a majority of voters would be more likely to vote for a candidate for Congress who supports expanding access to birth control (70 percent more likely, 12 percent less likely). This sentiment extends across parties, with a +77-point margin among Democrats, a +57-point margin among Independents, and a +34-point margin among Republicans. Women strongly back a candidate who supports expanding birth control options by a +62-point margin, while men say they would vote for such a candidate by a +53-point margin).
As we grapple with what a post-Roe v. Wade world looks like, it is essential to address the accessibility of contraceptives. Allowing birth control pills to be purchased over the counter would be a safe and effective way to do so, and is one that is overwhelmingly supported by voters.
Anika Dandekar (@AnikaDandekar) is a Polling Analyst at Data for Progress.
Evangel Penumaka (@evangelpenumaka) is a Senior Analyst at Data for Progress.