ADOLESCENT MALES ABORTION ATTITUDES - DATA FROM A NATIONAL SURVEY

Roughly 13% of a nationally representative sample of 1,880 15-19-year- old males approve of abortion in each of eight circumstances presented to them, while about 4% disapprove in every instance. The proportions agreeing that abortion is acceptable range as high as 85-90% if the p regnancy endangers the woman's health or results from rape. Any type o f religious affiliation, especially religious fundamentalism, is relat ed to weaker support for abortion, an even stronger correlate of abort ion attitudes is the importance of religion to the respondent. Abortio n attitudes vary little by race after other social background factors are controlled. Those with more liberal attitudes toward premarital se x and those who perceive that they would be upset if they became a fat her in the immediate future are particularly likely to express accepta nce of abortion. Roughly 61% of adolescent males do not feel that it w ould be all right fora woman to have an abortion if her partner object s, indicating a possible ''gender conflict of interest'' over the abor tion issue.