The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion has far-reaching personal and political implications and may help decide the midterm elections in November 2022.

That influence extends to young people’s election participation. People ages 18 to 29 have historically been less likely to vote than older adults. But in recent years, they have been spurred to organize and vote by major national controversies, like school shootings and police violence against Black people.

As a researcher with more than 20 years of experience tracking youth voting and examining young people’s political views and engagement, I believe that the fight over abortion rights now taking place in states has strong potential to motivate and mobilize young voters on both sides of the issue – and that their participation could be decisive in key races around the country.

Young people are supportive of abortion rights
About 62% of Americans support abortion’s being legal in all or most cases, according to Pew Research polling from July 2022. But that view is even more widely held among people ages 18 to 29 – 70% of people in that age group support legal abortion.

Other recent polling puts young people’s support for abortion even higher – a CBS/YouGov survey conducted in June 2022, shortly after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, found that 78% of young people favor legal abortion.

Young people are also the most likely age group to disapprove of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion. Sixty-nine percent of young people disapprove of the ruling, compared with 60% of adults ages 30 to 49 and half of Americans older than 49.

Women and people of color across all age groups – especially Black and Asian Americans – are also more likely than men and white people to disapprove of the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Read more: https://theconversation.com/more-young-voters-could-come-out-to-vote-in-november-sparked-by-abortion-and-other-hot-political-issues-186802