More Idahoans than not think state is on the ‘wrong track,’ want less strict abortion laws
A statewide survey found that for the first time in nearly a decade, more Idahoans think the state is on the “wrong track” than on the right one.
The public policy survey, released Friday by Boise State University, also found that most residents favor making Idaho’s strict anti-abortion laws less severe, public trust in librarians is high, and education, the economy and housing are top of mind.
The survey’s results run counter to several policies pushed by the Idaho Legislature in recent years, which have sought to restrict abortions and expose librarians to civil penalties.
Largest group think state is on ‘wrong track’
Forty-three percent of respondents said Idaho is headed in the wrong direction politically, while 40% said they think it is going in the right direction, according to the results. The questionnaire surveyed 1,007 adult Idahoans and had a 3.1% margin of error.
“While both responses fall within the margin of error like last year, making it a statistical tie, this is the first time in this survey’s history that wrong direction has been the top response among Idahoans,” according to the survey.
More than half of Democrats and half of independent voters thought the state is going in the wrong direction, while 56% of Republicans think the state is going in the right direction.
Of voters who think the state is making the right moves, 18% said so because they support “conservative” or “not liberal” policies.
Fifteen percent of voters who think things are going poorly said so because of the Republican supermajority control of state government, while 24% said it was either because of economic factors or an influx of new residents. Eight percent think the state is becoming “too liberal.”
The most trusted government is local government, with 36% of respondents reporting that they trust their city or county government the most. Sixteen percent said they trust the state government the most, while 4.5% said they trust the national government most. A third of respondents said they don’t trust any form of government the most.
Majority want fewer abortion restrictions
Idaho has some of the most stringent abortion bans in the country because of laws triggered after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, which had established a constitutional right to abortion in 1972.
Idaho bans abortion in nearly all instances, except when a mother’s life is imminently threatened by her pregnancy or when rape or incest is reported to law enforcement.
While a third of Idahoans surveyed said they support Idaho’s bans as they are, 58% think the laws should be changed.
Twenty-four percent think the exceptions should be expanded to allow exceptions for the health of a mother, or when a pregnancy is not viable. Fourteen percent think abortion should be allowed until fetal viability, at 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy, and 19% think there should be no restrictions on abortion access.
This story was originally published January 19, 2024 at 12:32 PM.
