Support for abortion lower in younger Canadians: poll

Support for abortion access has increased over the last decade, except amongst younger age groups, a new Ipsos poll suggests.

The poll, conducted for Global News, found that a majority of Canadians support abortion access without restraints.

56 percent of respondents said that they believe in abortion whenever it's wanted, an increase of 13 points from the previous poll conducted in 2010.

"We were really curious to know where Canadians stand on the issue," said Sanyam Sethi, vice-president of public affairs at Ipsos Canada. "If I compare the results from 2010 to the results of today, we see that Canadians have become far more pro-choice in their beliefs."

Support for the practice, however, fell in age groups between 18 to 34, results show. Compared to respondents over 55 where 63 percent said that they believe in abortion whenever wanted, just 50 percent in the lowest age group polled believed the same.

15 percent of respondents between 18 and 34 said they believe abortion should not be permitted unless a mother's life is in danger.

Sethi said that these findings aren't exclusive to Canada.

"Down 10 points from previous polling, 11 per cent of respondents believe abortion shouldn’t be permitted under any circumstances, regardless of the age group, except when a mother’s life is in danger," the report finds, according to Global News.

14 percent of men also said abortion shouldn't be allowed unless the mother's life is in danger, which is five points higher than in women.

57 percent of women and 55 percent of men support unrestricted access.

"It’s pretty consistent," said Sethi. "There are several issues where we have divisions on gender lines but this is not one of them."

Just 42 percent of Atlantic Canadians said that abortion should be permitted whenever wanted, compared to 63 percent in Alberta, 61 percent in British Columbia, and 54 percent in Ontario.