Is Tolerance for Abortion Culture Disappearing Three Decades since the Collapse of the Soviet Union? Change and Continuity in Public Opinion on Abortion in Central Asia, Caucasus and Russia, 2011-22

Wendy Hansen, University of New Mexico
Andrzej Kulczycki, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
Deborah McFarlane, University of New Mexico

Central Asia and the Caucasus share a common Soviet legacy in reproductive health with Russia including high abortion and unintended pregnancy rates, and low modern contraceptive use. Three decades since the collapse of the former Soviet Union, abortion rates have declined significantly but remain high by international standards. We use several waves of the World Values Survey and the European Values Study for countries in these regions and Russia to systematically analyze public opinion on the degree of abortion acceptance across countries and over time. Public support for legal abortion remains highest in Russia and has been consistent over 1990-2017. Kazakhstan shows a somewhat lower and relatively stable acceptance of abortion, with appreciably lower justification elsewhere, particularly in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia, which have the sharpest declines in support for abortion, but high abortion rates, particularly for Georgia. Support for abortion has increased in Azerbaijan, where modern contraceptive use remains lowest. We examine variation in views on abortion permissibility by socio-demographic, cultural, and economic factors, and test for the importance of religion in shaping abortion attitudes. Soviet abortion culture still prevails; societal tolerance for this situation has declined in only two of the seven countries studied.

Keywords: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Population Policies

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