Not Going Back
Public Opinion on Abortion in Post-Dobbs America
Laurel Elder author Mary-Kate Lizotte author Steven Greene author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Temple University Press,U.S.
Published:8th May '26
£84.00
Supplier delay - available to order, but may take longer than usual.
Despite intense political debate, attitudes on abortion were remarkably stable for decades. However, after the 2022 Dobbs decision, Americans' opinions began to change. Not Going Back explores the shifts in public opinion on this hot-button issue from the landmark passing of Roe v. Wade in 1973 through the 2024 election and into 2025.
The authors ask, "What role do Americans want their government to play in protecting, regulating, or restricting abortion access?" and, "How will changing attitudes on abortion reshape American politics?" They offer cohesive, theoretically grounded explanations for both the continuity and the change in Americans' attitudes on this contentious topic. Using national data, they take a deep dive into the personal experiences and social forces behind these changes.
Not Going Back ends with an examination of the consequences of these changes for election outcomes. While there has been a striking reversal in the prioritization of abortion as an issue among Democrats and Republicans, the full impact of this shift in thinking will be influenced by future policies, court decisions, and party reactions.
"The post-Dobbs landscape includes a dizzying array of state legislative policy debates. But as Elder, Greene, and Lizotte demonstrate in their comprehensive analysis of public opinion extending through the 2024 elections, Dobbs has also reshaped the connections among party, gender, and abortion attitudes, with disproportionate impacts on young women. They offer novel insights into Dobbs's effects on democracy, making Not Going Back a must-read title for students and observers of American politics." —Kira Sanbonmatsu, Senior Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University, and coauthor of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen's Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters
"Grounded in theories of elite rhetoric, thermostatic public opinion, and lived experience, Laurel Elder, Steven Greene, and Mary-Kate Lizotte's analyses illuminate important elements of Americans' abortion opinions. They account for both the countervailing opinion shifts among subgroups between the Roe and Dobbs Supreme Court decisions and also the pro-choice movement of the aggregate public post-Dobbs. The authors provide especially rich examinations of how one's past reproductive experiences, being a parent, and knowledge about pregnancy shape opinions regarding abortion." —Zoe Oxley, William D. Williams Professor of Political Science at Union College, and coauthor of Public Opinion: Democratic Ideals, Democratic Practice
ISBN: 9781439926499
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 454g
210 pages