PRRI’s latest survey, The State of Abortion and Contraception Attitudes in All 50 States: Findings from the 2018 American Values Atlas, finds that more than three-quarters of Americans (77%) across all demographic groups support government health insurance programs like Medicaid covering birth control costs for low-income women.
There is widespread support among all partisans on this issue. A majority of Democrats (89%), independents (78%), and Republicans (64%) agree that these programs should cover birth control costs for low-income women.
Within political parties, there are more pronounced differences among Republicans and independents than among Democrats. Liberal and moderate Republicans (both 78%) are more likely than conservative Republicans (59%) to favor government health insurance programs covering birth control costs for low-income women. Similarly, liberal independents (87%) and moderate independents (83%) are more likely than conservative independents (65%) to support this. Support is more evenly distributed among Democrats: 93% of liberal, 88% of moderate, and 80% of conservative Democrats support these programs covering birth control costs for low-income women.
Although majorities of men and women agree that government health insurance programs should cover birth control costs for low-income women, more women (84%) than men (71%) support such coverage.
Across political parties, women are more likely to support government health insurance programs covering birth control costs for low-income women. Over seven in ten (72%) Republican women think these programs should cover birth control costs, compared to less than six in ten (58%) Republican men. Similarly, more than eight in ten (84%) independent women support this, compared to seven in ten (72%) independent men. Democrats have a narrower gap, as 92% of Democrat women support this issue compared to 86% of Democrat men.
More than three-quarters of every racial or ethnic group and solid majorities of all major religious groups support government health insurance covering birth control costs for low-income women.