{
  "alt": "Line chart of the Democratic minus Republican gap in support for legal abortion by survey year, with confidence bands, for the ANES from 1980 to 2024 and the GSS from 1977 to 2024. Both lines are near zero in the 1980s and above zero from the early 1990s. The ANES line is {fact:anes_gap_1992} points in 1992 and {fact:anes_gap_2000} points in 2000, then reaches {fact:anes_gap_2020} points in 2020 and {fact:anes_gap_2024} points in 2024. The GSS line reaches {fact:gss_gap_2022} points in 2022 and is {fact:gss_gap_2024} points in 2024. A shaded band marks the ANES mode change from 2016 to 2020.",
  "caption": "Both lines rise from a gap near zero in 1980 to their highest values in the 2020s, but neither rises at every step. A value above zero means Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say yes. Each line joins survey years, each band is a 95% confidence interval, and the shaded band marks the change in ANES survey mode between 2016 and 2020.",
  "data": [
    {
      "conf_high": 8.83567,
      "conf_low": -1.75712,
      "estimate": 3.53928,
      "n": 1313,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 1980
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 5.62462,
      "conf_low": -5.78206,
      "estimate": -0.0787224,
      "n": 1173,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 1982
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 10.9475,
      "conf_low": 2.27423,
      "estimate": 6.61088,
      "n": 1888,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 1984
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 7.28336,
      "conf_low": -1.82778,
      "estimate": 2.72779,
      "n": 1818,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 1986
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 8.01925,
      "conf_low": -0.944714,
      "estimate": 3.53727,
      "n": 1751,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 1988
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 9.42565,
      "conf_low": -0.0726273,
      "estimate": 4.67651,
      "n": 1692,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 1990
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 18.3295,
      "conf_low": 9.78779,
      "estimate": 14.0586,
      "n": 2097,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 1992
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 17.81,
      "conf_low": 7.0577,
      "estimate": 12.4338,
      "n": 1537,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 1994
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 17.8681,
      "conf_low": 6.8205,
      "estimate": 12.3443,
      "n": 1521,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 1996
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 21.697,
      "conf_low": 9.23792,
      "estimate": 15.4674,
      "n": 1106,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 1998
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 21.534,
      "conf_low": 10.7926,
      "estimate": 16.1633,
      "n": 1532,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 2000
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 25.4547,
      "conf_low": 12.2469,
      "estimate": 18.8508,
      "n": 931,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 2004
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 29.6645,
      "conf_low": 13.8347,
      "estimate": 21.7496,
      "n": 893,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 2008
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 33.4859,
      "conf_low": 26.4338,
      "estimate": 29.9599,
      "n": 5068,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 2012
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 36.5531,
      "conf_low": 29.2314,
      "estimate": 32.8923,
      "n": 3630,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 2016
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 50.8793,
      "conf_low": 45.3296,
      "estimate": 48.1045,
      "n": 7002,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 2020
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 55.8927,
      "conf_low": 48.7862,
      "estimate": 52.3394,
      "n": 4666,
      "survey": "ANES",
      "year": 2024
    },
    {
      "conf_high": -0.282595,
      "conf_low": -12.6725,
      "estimate": -6.47755,
      "n": 1299,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1977
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 2.97773,
      "conf_low": -10.6151,
      "estimate": -3.81871,
      "n": 1263,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1978
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 9.46594,
      "conf_low": -4.55717,
      "estimate": 2.45439,
      "n": 1165,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1980
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 5.85176,
      "conf_low": -7.67932,
      "estimate": -0.913782,
      "n": 1532,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1982
    },
    {
      "conf_high": -0.81956,
      "conf_low": -14.0428,
      "estimate": -7.4312,
      "n": 1322,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1983
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 2.17865,
      "conf_low": -11.6755,
      "estimate": -4.74845,
      "n": 1245,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1984
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 8.50911,
      "conf_low": -4.6396,
      "estimate": 1.93476,
      "n": 1322,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1985
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 3.80507,
      "conf_low": -8.69381,
      "estimate": -2.44437,
      "n": 1527,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1987
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 16.5193,
      "conf_low": 1.82534,
      "estimate": 9.1723,
      "n": 817,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1988
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 11.8957,
      "conf_low": -2.85236,
      "estimate": 4.52167,
      "n": 861,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1989
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 14.2934,
      "conf_low": -1.57388,
      "estimate": 6.35978,
      "n": 766,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1990
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 10.3101,
      "conf_low": -4.91045,
      "estimate": 2.69984,
      "n": 816,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1991
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 22.7497,
      "conf_low": 7.85967,
      "estimate": 15.3047,
      "n": 872,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1993
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 14.0608,
      "conf_low": 3.18549,
      "estimate": 8.62312,
      "n": 1647,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1994
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 16.8299,
      "conf_low": 5.75802,
      "estimate": 11.294,
      "n": 1513,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1996
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 20.1188,
      "conf_low": 8.87296,
      "estimate": 14.4959,
      "n": 1449,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 1998
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 17.8957,
      "conf_low": 6.46849,
      "estimate": 12.1821,
      "n": 1378,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2000
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 27.1366,
      "conf_low": 10.8178,
      "estimate": 18.9772,
      "n": 719,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2002
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 25.6711,
      "conf_low": 9.1937,
      "estimate": 17.4324,
      "n": 700,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2004
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 25.7773,
      "conf_low": 13.9238,
      "estimate": 19.8505,
      "n": 1486,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2006
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 19.0408,
      "conf_low": 4.81038,
      "estimate": 11.9256,
      "n": 1051,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2008
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 26.7858,
      "conf_low": 11.6294,
      "estimate": 19.2076,
      "n": 968,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2010
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 31.5007,
      "conf_low": 16.2875,
      "estimate": 23.8941,
      "n": 966,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2012
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 29.6833,
      "conf_low": 17.2226,
      "estimate": 23.453,
      "n": 1290,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2014
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 27.7161,
      "conf_low": 15.2601,
      "estimate": 21.4881,
      "n": 1465,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2016
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 37.983,
      "conf_low": 23.937,
      "estimate": 30.96,
      "n": 1189,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2018
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 44.0206,
      "conf_low": 29.5715,
      "estimate": 36.796,
      "n": 1044,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2021
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 62.2662,
      "conf_low": 44.6582,
      "estimate": 53.4622,
      "n": 831,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2022
    },
    {
      "conf_high": 53.5352,
      "conf_low": 41.4217,
      "estimate": 47.4785,
      "n": 1534,
      "survey": "GSS",
      "year": 2024
    }
  ],
  "id": "gap_by_year",
  "notes": [
    "The 2012 and 2016 ANES studies combined in-person and web samples, and the 2020 study had no in-person interviews.",
    "GSS interviews were mostly in person through 2018, mostly on the web in 2021, and a mix of in-person and web in 2022 and 2024.",
    "The GSS question was first asked in 1977. The 2008 ANES asked the question of fewer respondents than any other study, so its interval is wider; its estimate lies between those of 2004 and 2012, and this chapter treats 2008 as an ordinary year."
  ],
  "source": "ANES Cumulative Data File, 1980-2024, and General Social Survey, 1977-2024; weighted (VCF0009z, which equals 1 for every respondent from 1980 to 1990; weight_use)",
  "spec": {
    "annotations": [
      {
        "label": "No gap",
        "type": "y-rule",
        "y": 0
      },
      {
        "label": "ANES mode change",
        "type": "band",
        "x1": 2016,
        "x2": 2020
      }
    ],
    "colors": {
      "ANES": "cat1",
      "GSS": "cat2"
    },
    "dashed": [
      "GSS"
    ],
    "hi": "conf_high",
    "lo": "conf_low",
    "n": "n",
    "series": "survey",
    "x": "year",
    "xDomain": [
      1976,
      2025
    ],
    "xLabel": "Survey year",
    "y": "estimate",
    "yDomain": [
      -20,
      70
    ],
    "yFormat": {
      "digits": 0
    },
    "yLabel": "Gap (percentage points)"
  },
  "subtitle": "Democratic minus Republican share saying abortion should always be allowed (ANES) or legal for any reason (GSS), party identifiers including leaners, 1977 to 2024; 95% intervals",
  "table": {
    "columns": [
      {
        "key": "survey",
        "label": "Survey"
      },
      {
        "key": "year",
        "label": "Year"
      },
      {
        "format": {
          "digits": 1
        },
        "key": "estimate",
        "label": "Gap (points)"
      },
      {
        "format": {
          "digits": 1
        },
        "key": "conf_low",
        "label": "Lower"
      },
      {
        "format": {
          "digits": 1
        },
        "key": "conf_high",
        "label": "Upper"
      },
      {
        "format": {
          "thousands": true
        },
        "key": "n",
        "label": "Respondents"
      }
    ]
  },
  "title": "Democrats and Republicans grew apart on legal abortion in both surveys",
  "type": "line",
  "width": "wide"
}