Boise State survey shows majority of Idaho residents at odds with current abortion laws

Nicole Blanchard, The Idaho Statesman on Jan 17, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

BOISE, Idaho — A Boise State University public policy survey found that the majority of Idaho residents prefer abortion policies that are more lax than the state’s current restrictions.

The university published the results of its annual public policy survey Friday. It came as state officials and stakeholders are unsure whether President-elect Donald Trump will dismiss an ongoing lawsuit the Department of Justice filed against Idaho over abortion as emergency medical care.

The first of the survey’s two questions on abortion asked respondents to choose a time period when they believe abortion should be allowed. One-fifth said it should be completely prohibited, which is currently Idaho’s law. The most popular response, with 26%, was the exact opposite — respondents said there should be no restrictions on access to abortion.

The remainder of respondents split the difference. About 12% said abortion should be allowed through the first six weeks of pregnancy. Seventeen percent extended that cutoff to the first trimester of pregnancy, at around 12 weeks. Another 12% said abortion should be legal to the point of fetal viability, which is around 22-24 weeks.

The remaining respondents said they were unsure of their stance.

Researchers also looked at the total number of responses that favored access to abortion combined with responses that allowed even more access.

“For example, a respondent who believes there should be no restrictions on access to abortion would likely agree that it should also be allowed in the first six weeks, the first trimester, or through fetal viability,” the survey report said.

Analyzing the responses from that approach showed that a majority of Idaho residents — 55% — think the state should allow abortion through the first trimester. More than one-third — 38% — said they believe abortion should be accessible to the point of fetal viability.

The question about exceptions to Idaho’s current abortion law also showed respondents favor regulations that are less strict than what lawmakers have in place. There are exceptions to the state abortion ban in instances of ectopic or molar pregnancy, in documented cases of rape and incest, and to prevent the death of the pregnant person.

Idaho doctors and abortion rights activists have pushed for an explicit exception when the pregnant person’s health is at risk, but their life is not. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has said the current law allows for abortion in those cases, despite multiple lawsuits that seek to clarify when abortion is permissible.

Idaho’s existing law earned support from one-fifth of respondents who said abortion should be allowed in cases of rape, incest or to prevent the death of the mother. Nine percent of respondents supported eliminating any exceptions to the abortion ban.

But having more lax exceptions was the most popular option among respondents. Twenty-seven percent said there should be no restrictions on access to abortion. The most popular option, with 37%, was for exceptions in cases of rape, incest or nonviable pregnancies, and to protect the health and prevent the death of the mother.

Combining responses in the same manner they did for the first abortion question, researchers found that nearly two-thirds, 64%, of Idaho residents support abortion exceptions that are less strict than the state’s current laws.

Researchers said in the survey report that they noticed pronounced divides in responses to the abortion questions based on the respondents’ political affiliation and gender. They said age, education, race and income showed little or no disparity.

The report said abortion sentiments are “primarily shaped by political affiliation,” with Republican respondents more likely to choose restrictive policies and Democrats more likely to favor access to abortion. Women were slightly more likely than men to favor abortion access.

The results were similar to those in a survey conducted by Idahoans United for Women and Families, a new nonprofit that last year announced its plan to pursue a ballot initiative to legalize abortion. The results also mirror those of an Idaho Statesman survey on abortion from 2022.

_____