New Polling Confirms Voters in Major Swing States Continue to Reject Efforts to Defund Planned Parenthood

For Immediate Release: Aug. 26, 2015

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Fifth multi-state poll this summer shows defunding is a political non-starter

A new Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday shows that voters in Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania oppose efforts to cut off federal funding for Planned Parenthood.  This poll is the fifth multi-state poll this summer confirming that Americans are opposed to restricting federal funds to Planned Parenthood’s nonprofit health centers, despite an ongoing smear campaign against Planned Parenthood being carried out by anti-abortion extremists who have made claims that have now been widely discredited.

As reported by theOrlando Sentinel, “A new poll from Quinnipiac University finds that Floridians are not willing to support efforts to pull federal funding from Planned Parenthood....The poll, released this morning, found similar results in two other swing states, Ohio and Pennsylvania.”

Florida —Orlando Sentinel: Q Poll Florida: Support Planned Parenthood, immigrants, boots on ground

“The Planned Parenthood support comes despite a mounting anti-Planned Parenthood protest campaign that started with release of undercover videos…”

Ohio —Cleveland.com: Ohio voters oppose Iran deal but support Planned Parenthood funding, poll shows

“But before political commercials are cut, politicians who share those views should know that Ohio voters also oppose efforts to cut off federal funding for Planned Parenthood (another issue in the Senate; point: Democrats).”

Pennsylvania —Politics PA: Quinnipiac Poll: Majority Oppose Planned Parenthood Cuts

“Results froma Quinnipiac Poll released on Monday show that by a decent margin, Pennsylvania voters have a favorable opinion of Planned Parenthood and oppose the efforts to end its federal funding.”

Background: Public Overwhelmingly Supports Planned Parenthood

In the weeks since the launch of the latest attacks on Planned Parenthood, every scientific poll that has been conducted has found broad, deep support for the organization and its ability to provide health care services to millions of people — and the public has mobilized on behalf of Planned Parenthood. The public is largely aware of accusations about Planned Parenthood — and is not persuaded by them.

Four separate nationwide polls and now six polls in political swing states also show strong favorability for Planned Parenthood and strong opposition to efforts in Congress to defund the organization, which would prevent low-income women from receiving health care at Planned Parenthood.

These polls stem from the deep and longstanding relationship that many Americans have with Planned Parenthood, which is the nation’s leading provider of reproductive health care and sex education. For 99 years, women, men, and young people have relied on Planned Parenthood for birth control, lifesaving cancer screenings, safe abortion, and other high-quality health care.  One in five women American women reports having been to Planned Parenthood for care in her lifetime.

All four national polls conducted in the wake of these attacks show extraordinarily strong support for Planned Parenthood.

• A poll from Hart research found that 64% of voters, including 72% of Independents, disagree with attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. Only 28% of voters support efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, and voters overwhelmingly say they would support a candidate who favors funding Planned Parenthood over a candidate who supports defunding the organization.

• A recent YouGov poll found that a solid majority of Americans have a favorable view of Planned Parenthood — virtually unchanged from a year ago. The poll found that more than a third of people who think abortion should be banned in all cases have a favorable view of Planned Parenthood.

• A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that a majority of Americans support federal funding for Planned Parenthood’s preventive services, and strongly oppose attempts to block millions of patients across the country from accessing care at Planned Parenthood’s health centers. Fully 54% of people said they support federal funding for Planned Parenthood, and just 26% oppose. When asked about federal funding for reproductive health services generally, compared to funding for the same services at Planned Parenthood specifically, respondents were more supportive (by as much as 10%) of funding health care services at Planned Parenthood.

• And a recent NBC-WSJ poll shows that Planned Parenthood has a significantly higher favorability rating than any other group or individual tested — including the U.S. Supreme Court, President Obama, both political parties, and every Republican running for president.

Polls in political swing states since these attacks began also show extremely strong support for Planned Parenthood.

Three surveys conducted by Hart Research show that despite weeks of attacks from anti-abortion extremists and their allies in Congress, voters in the battleground states of New Hampshire, Ohio, and Pennsylvania strongly support Planned Parenthood. The polls found strong opposition to defunding the preventive health services, including cancer screenings and birth control, that Planned Parenthood provides to millions of women in communities across the country — as well as overwhelming opposition to a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood. Key findings from the surveys include:

• 66% of New Hampshire voters oppose defunding Planned Parenthood’s preventive health services, including 72% of Independents.

• 65% of Ohio voters oppose defunding Planned Parenthood’s preventive health services, including 59% of Independents.

• 69% of Pennsylvania voters oppose defunding Planned Parenthood’s preventive health services, including 69% of Independents.

• Large majorities of voters in each state (65% in New Hampshire, 60% in Ohio, and 65% in Pennsylvania) do not believe that defunding is justified by the deceptively edited videos released in recent weeks by anti-abortion extremists.

• Overwhelming majorities of voters in each state (75% in New Hampshire, 74% in Ohio, and 76% in Pennsylvania), including majorities of Republican voters, have an unfavorable reaction to the idea of shutting down the federal government to block any funding for Planned Parenthood.

By a 2 to 1 margin, voters in all three states are less likely to vote to re-elect their senators if they vote to defund Planned Parenthood.