June 1, 2023

BATON ROUGE—Researchers from the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication have released the third report of the 2023 Louisiana Survey. Findings show most residents support legal abortion when the mother’s life is in serious danger and in cases of rape, but opinion divides on other cases.

The 2023 Louisiana Survey includes two distinct efforts to sample residents of the state and conduct interviews. The Louisiana Survey polled 500 adult residents through traditional telephone-based surveys from across the state to find out how Louisianians view their government and its policies. The survey was conducted from March 22 to April 4, 2023, and the total sample has a +/- 5.8 margin of error. Additionally, the Louisiana Survey polled 509 adult residents in a survey administered online. The survey was conducted from March 22 to March 30, 2023, and the total sample has a +/- 6% margin of error. The primary report is based on the traditional telephone-based portion of the study. Findings from the third of three reports indicate the following views on abortion rights:

• Fifty-two percent (52%) of respondents said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and 44% said it should be illegal in all or most cases.
• Eighty-five percent (85%) said that a woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion if her life is seriously endangered due to pregnancy, and 77% said a woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion if she became pregnant because of rape.
• Fifty-two percent (52%) of respondents said a woman should not be able to obtain a legal abortion if the reason she is seeking one is that she or her family has a very low income and cannot afford any more children. A similar share (54%) said a woman should not be able to obtain a legal abortion if the reason she is seeking one is that she does not want any more children.
• Fifty-one percent (51%) support Medicaid covering the costs of abortion, and 48% support requiring health insurance companies to cover the cost of abortion.
• Fifty-one percent (51%) oppose employers or insurance companies paying for women in Louisiana to travel out of state for an abortion.
• Fifty-seven percent (57%) oppose making it illegal for women in Louisiana to cross state lines to obtain an abortion, and 59% oppose making it illegal to provide assistance for a woman to get an abortion, such as providing money or transportation.
• Seventy percent (70%) of respondents support legally allowing people to possess small amounts of marijuana for recreational use. This marks a substantial increase since 2013 when just 42% supported legalization for recreational use.
• Democrats and Republicans see the opposing party as more extreme than they see themselves.
• Democrats’ and Republicans’ opinions about the opposing party have soured in recent years, with a growing share of Democrats having an unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party in the state and a growing share of Republicans having a very unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party in Louisiana.

Michael Henderson, Ph.D., director of the Louisiana Survey, is available for interviews. Contact acharbonnet1@lsu.edu to schedule.

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The Louisiana Survey has been conducted since 2003, establishing rich longitudinal measures of public opinion in Louisiana. The mission of the Louisiana Survey is to establish benchmarks, as well as to capture change in residents’ assessments of state government services. The survey is further dedicated to tracking public opinion on the contemporary policy issues that face the state. Each iteration of the Louisiana Survey contains core items designed to serve as barometers of public sentiment, including assessments of whether the state is heading in the right direction or wrong direction, perceptions about the most important problems facing the state, as well as evaluations of public revenue sources and spending priorities.

The survey is a project of the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs, an integral part of the Manship School of Mass Communication. The Reilly Center’s mission is to generate thoughtful programs, dialogue and research about mass communication and its many-faceted relationships with social, economic and political issues.

Read the full Louisiana Survey report on the LSU Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs website.

For more information, contact acharbonnet1@lsu.edu.

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The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.

LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the strongest collegiate communication programs in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law, along with four graduate degree programs: Master of Mass Communication, Ph.D. in Media and Public Affairs, Certificate of Strategic Communication and a dual MMC/Law degree. Like us on Facebook @ManshipSchool, or follow us on Twitter @ManshipSchool, Instagram @ManshipSchool and LinkedIn LSU Manship School of Mass Communication.