Social and cultural determinants of attitudes toward abortion: a test of Reiss’ hypotheses

Abstract

This study attempts to test Reiss’ hypotheses of the effects of social and cultural variables on abortion attitudes using NORC General Social Survey data 1972–1998. The analysis was done in three steps. First, changes in public opinions on abortion were examined. Second, regression analysis was used to assess the effects of social-cultural variables. Third, we used path analysis to determine the direct and indirect effects of the social-cultural variables on abortion attitudes. Empirical findings indicate the importance of education, gender-role attitudes, fundamentalist beliefs, and childbearing motivation in predicting attitudes toward abortion. Policy implications and limitations of the study are discussed.