About half of young adults say they would not choose to live in a state that passes abortion restrictions and are ready to turn down job offers in places where bans are already in place, according to a new survey from Generation Lab.
The results of the study, titled "Youth & Current Affairs in the USA", were based on a survey of 1,033 people aged 18-34 nationwide.
Only 17% of respondents said they would "definitely" live in a state with bans, signaling a clear position against abortion, while 21% answered that they would "probably" do so.
In contrast, over six in ten respondents said they would "probably" (32%) or "definitely" (30%) avoid staying or living in states that ban abortions, according to the findings. However, this view would change to some extent if a job position of interest were to arise.
The survey asked, "If a potential employer's state banned abortions, might you reject that employer's job offer?" Over half of the young adults who participated answered that they "would probably not reject the offer" (35%) or "would definitely not" do so (20%).
"These numbers on abortion have gigantic implications for just about every large company in America," said Cyrus Beschloss, the CEO of The Generation Lab, as cited in an article by NBC Miami.
"Companies must know they'll be freezing out or at least scaring a large part of the young talent they're trying to hire when they're based in one of these states," the researcher added.
Since the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision in 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade and transferred decisions about abortion access to the states, 21 states have either banned or restricted access to the procedure, while three others have blocked bans pending court decisions.
The findings of this poll could signal a profound impact on cutting-edge companies located in restrictive states, which may no longer be appealing for many younger generations in the U.S.
For instance, Elon Musk's Tesla is based in Austin, a city renowned for its large population of young professionals. According to a ranking by U.S. News, Austin's job market is the 17th most attractive out of 150 on the list.
Texas' capital city has evolved into a prominent tech hub in recent decades, as companies and venture capitalists sought a more cost-effective alternative to Silicon Valley, California, where abortion is legal with protections until viability.
However, the state has also banned abortions in almost all circumstances, and private citizens can sue abortion providers and those who assist patients seeking an abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy. Florida has also recently imposed a six-week abortion ban, making it practically total as most women don't know they are pregnant by that time.
The study did not disaggregate the information by sex, leaving uncertainty as to whether the effect might primarily impact young women in the United States, potentially becoming a new barrier to gender equality.
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