New Polling: Across Party Lines, Women Want Abortion Access and Paid Leave to Care for Themselves and Families

Link to full polling memo: https://bit.ly/WomenVoters2024

Washington, DC – New groundbreaking polling from Lake Research and HIT strategies commissioned by the National Partnership for Women & Families Action Fund shows that women likely voters in battleground states believe in the need for access to abortion as well as the ability to take paid time off to care for themselves and their families.

The research shows that large numbers of Democratic women (95%), Independent women (84%) and Republican women (77%) believe that an elected official's support for paid family leave is important.

On the issue of abortion, Democratic women (92%), Independent women (70%), Republic women (45%) say it’s important that an elected leader supports a federal law to protect access to abortion nationwide. 

By a more than two-to-one margin, women voters believe that we need to take action – meaning do something immediately – on the issues of paid family and medical leave and access to abortion instead of keeping things the way they are: 66% versus 30% believe we need to take action to make sure people have access to abortion and paid family and medical leave.  

This survey conducted in battleground states a month before one of the most pivotal elections of our time, also found that messaging in favor of abortion and paid leave far outperformed the opposition’s message. Sixty-three percent of women voters strongly agree with the statement that “our society doesn’t appreciate the unpaid work women do to care for loved ones” and 73% are convinced that “pregnancy is unique, with complex circumstances” that may require abortion care versus 50% of women who found messaging around personal responsibility and states rights convincing.

“Elected officials who support abortion and paid family leave should feel confident that they are on strong footing – not just for this election but going forward into the 2025 legislative fights,” said Constance Torian, senior advisor to National Partnership for Women & Families Action Fund. “This polling shows a clear mandate from women for policies that include both reproductive care and paid time off to care for themselves or a loved one – and they believe that elected officials should make these policies a priority and not leave the status quo in place.”