Predictors of Engagement in Abortion-Related Activism Before and After the Nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh

ContextGuided by the Civic Voluntarism Model (CVM), we examined (1) people's lifetime engagement in abortion-related activism behaviors prior to Justice Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States and (2) people's first-time engagement in abortion-related activism behaviors after his nomination. We examined predictors of lifetime and first-time engagement separately for people who identify as pro-life, pro-choice, and neither/both.MethodA web-based survey was administered to U.S. adults in English and Spanish (N = 4,743). We used logistic regression to assess predictors of (1) lifetime engagement in four abortion activism behaviors (e.g., calling politicians, attending rallies) before Kavanaugh's nomination and (2) first-time engagement in the same four behaviors after Kavanaugh's nomination for people who identified as pro-life, pro-choice, and neither/both.ResultsApproximately 17-30% of participants engaged in abortion-related activism prior to Kavanaugh's nomination and 3-8% for the first time after his nomination. CVM variables were better at predicting lifetime than first-time engagement and seemed to be more consistent predictors for pro-life and pro-choice groups than neither/both.ConclusionsAbortion-related engagement after Kavanaugh's nomination was minimal, suggesting that this event may not have sparked new engagement. Because CVM variables were more effective predictors of lifetime engagement, especially among people who identified as pro-life and pro-choice, the CVM may function better for those invested to some degree in an issue.ImplicationsAbortion advocacy groups may consider using the CVM to engage people in abortion-related activism generally. However, abortion movement leaders may consider other tactics to engage people for the first time.