Univision's fact checker Detector de Mentiras ruled that Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) statement that young people are currently “the most pro-life generation of young people” in recent times was a “lie,” and that in fact many studies “are finding a more or less stable level of support over time.”

During an April 14 MSNBC town hall, Cruz asserted that “if you look at young people, this generation of young people is the most pro-life generation of young people we have seen in modern times.” Detector de Mentiras explained that “it's hard to find studies that demonstrate a clear change among young people regarding pro-choice or anti-choice stances.” The fact checker found that many studies indicate that “young people aren't more or less anti-choice than in the second half of the 1990s,” and that according to Gallup they are more pro-choice than in 2010. In addition, “in two opinion studies an important trend emerges among millennials to not identify as either pro-choice or anti-choice,” which requires “a more careful analysis of what young people are thinking.”

Ted Cruz's false statement continues a trend of anti-choice conservatives repeating falsehoods, which have been used to attack reproductive rights and limit abortion access. Notably, some anti-choice measures, such as Texas’s HB 2, could have a disproportionate impact on Latinas.

Translated from Univision's Detector de Mentiras April 19 fact-check:

Is it true that we are the most anti-abortion generation of young people in the United States in modern times?

The answer is no. There are many studies that are finding a more or less stable level of support over time for different positions on abortion. We haven’t seen important changes. Regarding what Cruz said, he didn't quote any studies, but he referred to a “pro-life generation,” which is not an inspirational term from the candidate, but rather one that has a very specific political meaning. A lot of material can be found attempting to support the idea that today's youth is more anti-abortion than previous generations. However, the evidence isn't clear and it's hard to find studies that demonstrate a clear change among young people regarding pro-choice or anti-choice stances.

[...]

The question about the morality of abortion has a different tenor than that of considering oneself pro-choice or anti-choice and it can be influenced by various factors. But it seems that Americans recognize the presence of these different factors. The [General Social Survey] (GSS) conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC at the University of Chicago) has studied since 1972 the stances that Americans have on a range of topics, including abortion. The study demonstrates that supporting or rejecting abortion depends a lot on the circumstances.

That might explain why Pew Research Center states that positions on abortion have remained pretty stable between 1995 and 2016, and by showing data filtered by age, we find that 62% of 18-29 year olds surveyed say that abortions should be legal in all or most cases, while 36% said that it should be illegal on all or most cases.

Neither for or against

In a 2015 survey, Vox concluded that 39% of the public does not strictly identify as pro-choice or anti-choice. While they don't filter their result by age, in the sample from March 2015, 21% of those surveyed said they were between 18 and 29 years old, and 25% were between 30 and 44 years old.

Vox's findings coincide with those of the study “How Race and Religion Shape Millen[n]ial Attitudes on Sexuality and Reproductive Health” conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute. The February 2015 survey had a sample of 2,314 adults between 18 and 35 years of age. In the results of the survey, we can see that 33% of those born after 1982, millennials,believe that abortions should be legal in almost all cases and 22% say it should be completely legal. Likewise, 55% think that their community should have a health professional that can practice legal abortions. In terms of the labels “pro-choice” and “anti-choice,” millennials are almost perfectly divided in quarters between those who identify with one label, those who identify with the other, those who identify with both, and those who don't identify with either.

Verdict

What Cruz said is a lie. Cruz stated that young people currently are the most anti-abortion generation in modern times. There are many studies that indicate that currently, young people aren't more or less anti-choice than in the second half of the 1990s; and if we consider the Gallup poll, this generation is more pro-choice than in 2010. In addition, in two opinion studies an important trend emerges among millennials to not identify as either pro-choice or anti-choice, which would demand a more careful analysis of what young people are thinking from politicians debating this issue. In the studies that could support what Cruz said, we haven't found an evolution of positions on abortion over time.