Marist Poll: A Majority of Americans Continue to Support Legal Limits on Abortion

Most also support Pregnancy Resource Centers for Mothers and Their Babies

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The 2026 Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll results, released today, show that 67% of Americans support placing legal limits on abortion, and that 57% support limiting abortions to at most the first three months of pregnancy. This survey, conducted by the Marist Poll and commissioned annually by the Knights of Columbus, also found that 84% of Americans support pregnancy resource centers, which offer support to mothers both during their pregnancy and after their baby is born. Additionally, the poll found that 63% of Americans believe healthcare professionals with religious objections to abortions should not be legally required to perform them, while 88% of Americans believe that laws can protect both the mother and her unborn child.

“Despite the publicly heated debates about abortion, there remains a consensus of opinion on this issue among Americans. Americans believe abortion should be limited yet include exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother,” says Dr. Barbara L. Carvalho, Director of the Marist Poll. “Despite the changes in practice that have occurred since the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision, public opinion has remained consistent.”

“Once again, most Americans are steadfast in their belief that abortion should be significantly limited yet laws should include exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother,” says Dr. Barbara L. Carvalho, Director of the Marist Poll. “This clear trend found in the annual Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll has continued, nearly two years after the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision.”

“The Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll continues to show that a majority of Americans support legal restrictions on abortion. At the same time, a growing majority support pregnancy resource centers, which provide assistance to mothers and their children in their time of greatest need,” said Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly.

He continued, “The Knights have supported vulnerable women and their children since our founding by Blessed Michael McGivney more than 140 years ago, and our commitment has never wavered. And now, we’re guided by the encouraging words of Pope Leo XIV, who recently mentioned in his “State of the World” address, ‘life is a priceless gift,’ and that, as Catholics, we have a ‘fundamental ethical imperative’ to ‘welcome and fully care for unborn life.’ The Knights of Columbus’ mission will continue to be guided by these principles until abortion becomes unthinkable.”

Knights across the United States and Canada have raised more than $19 million to support vital pregnancy resource centers through our ASAP, or Aid and Support After Pregnancy program. Knights have also funded the purchase of over 2,000 ultrasound machines, which empower vulnerable mothers to see their unborn babies.

For more information, please visit kofc.org/polls.

Methodology

This national survey of 1,408 adults was conducted January 12th through January 13th, 2026, by the Marist Poll sponsored in partnership with the Knights of Columbus. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the United States were contacted through a multi-mode design: By phone using live interviewers, by text, or online. All potential respondents were screened for age. Survey questions for all modes of data collection were available in English or Spanish. To ensure representativeness, data was balanced to match current estimates for the adult population by region, age, gender, education, income, and race/ethnicity using the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS).

Results for all adults (n= 1,408) are statistically significant within ±3.3 percentage points. Results for registered voters (n=1,222) are statistically significant within ±3.5 percentage points. Margins of error for subgroups are available upon request. The design effect for this survey is 1.6 which has been incorporated in the calculation of all reported margins of error. Research limitations can come from many potential sources, and there may be unmeasured factors in this or any other public opinion poll. Questions asked in this survey with the wording, results, and cross tabulations are included in this packet. Tables include results for subgroups to only display crosstabs with an acceptable sampling error. It should be noted that, although you may not see results listed for a certain group, it does not mean interviews were not completed with those individuals. It simply means the sample size is too small to report. The Marist Poll is an educational program in public opinion research and funded by Marist University.

For more information, please visit kofc.org/polls.

About the Knights of Columbus

In 1882, Blessed Michael McGivney, a young parish priest in New Haven, Connecticut, founded the Knights of Columbus to serve the needs of a largely immigrant Catholic community. What began as a small fraternal benefit society has since grown into the world’s premier lay Catholic men’s organization, with more than 2.2 million members in over 16,800 local councils. As members of one of the world’s leading charitable organizations, Knights donated more than 48 million service hours and over $197 million for worthy causes in their communities in 2024. The Knights of Columbus also offers a range of life insurance products to members and their families. Knights of Columbus Insurance has more than $124 billion* of life insurance in force. In addition, the organization offers investment services in accord with Catholic social teaching through its wholly owned subsidiary, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, which holds more than $30 billion** in assets under management. Guided by the principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism, the Knights of Columbus is committed to strengthening Catholic families and parishes, by enabling men to grow in their faith and put that faith into action through service to all in need. To learn more or to join the Knights of Columbus, please visit kofc.org/join.

*As of January 1, 2026

**As of January 1, 2026

Poll Results

- Poll Presentation
- Marist Poll Results 2026
- Full Results Crosstabs
- Marist Poll Full Results Crosstabs 2026