Majority of Canadians support abortion access but less so for younger age groups: poll

Although support for abortion access has increased over the last decade in Canada, it wavers for younger age groups, a new poll suggests.

Although support for abortion access has increased over the last decade in Canada, it wavers for younger age groups, a new poll suggests.

The Ipsos poll, conducted exclusively for Global News and released Friday, found that a majority of Canadians support access to abortion whenever it’s wanted.

This 56 per cent majority is up 13 points from previous Ipsos polling conducted in 2010 – the first time polling on the topic was conducted by the company.

“We were really curious to know where Canadians stand on the issue,” Sanyam Sethi, vice-president of public affairs at Ipsos Canada, told Global News.

“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.”

However, those between the ages of 18 to 34 showed the least support in comparison with older generations, results show.

“This is a very rare issue,” said Sethi.

Compared with the 63 per cent of Canadians 55 and over who believe people should be permitted to have an abortion whenever wanted, only 50 per cent of those 18 to 34 believe the same.