Abstract
Background
Widespread underreporting of abortion persists in survey data. The list experiment,
a measurement tool designed to elicit truthful responses to sensitive questions, may
alleviate underreporting.
Methods
Using The Statewide Survey of Women of Reproductive Age in Delaware and Maryland (n = 2,747), we estimate the prevalence of abortion in Maryland and Delaware using a
double list experiment.
Results
We find 21% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 16.8%–25.3%) of respondents aged 18 to
44 ever had an abortion and we identify disparities in abortion prevalence by age,
race, education, income, marital status, and insurance status. Respondents who were
Black (37.0%; 95% CI: 27.1%–46.8%), had less than a college degree (24.8%; 95% CI:
18.3%–31.3%), were in a cohabiting relationship (39.0%; 95% CI: 29.1%–48.9%), were
living in households with incomes less than $50,000 (28.6%; 95% CI: 19.7%–37.5%),
and were currently covered by Medicaid (42.8%; 95% CI: 27.6%–58.0%) were more likely
than their counterparts to have ever had an abortion.
Conclusions
List experiments yield estimates of abortion substantially higher than those obtained
from direct questions. Findings demonstrate external validity through consistency
with estimates from administrative data sources and gold standard abortion provider
survey data.
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Biography
Alexandra Kissling, PhD, is a postdoctoral research associate with the Maryland Population Research Center. Her research agenda focuses on how inequalities in family and gender influence health, using qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Biography
Heide M. Jackson, PhD, is the statistical programmer for the Maryland Population Research Center. Her research interests pertain to health inequalities, longitudinal analysis, and issues in missing data.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 20, 2021
Accepted:
August 19,
2021
Received in revised form:
August 16,
2021
Received:
February 19,
2021
Footnotes
This work was supported by a research grant from The Susan Thompson Buffet Foundation. We gratefully acknowledge support from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Center for Child Health and Human Development grant P2C-HD041041, Maryland Population Research Center.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, George Washington University. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
