How do ordinary Americans think and feel about adoption? And, in particular, how do U.S. women who have faced an unplanned pregnancy decision think and feel about adoption? This report draws insights from hundreds of in-depth interviews with a random and closely representative sample of Americans to ascertain perceptions connected to the idea, realities, and lived experiences of adoption.

Its focus is not on perceived differences between families formed through adoption and families formed through biological kinship. Rather, it centers on Americans’ general attitudes toward the institution of adoption, its social functions, its perceived value and failings, and its place in the landscape of discussions and decisions surrounding pregnancy, parenting, and abortion. The report’s grounding and purpose is sociological, intending to increase understanding through data apart from particular positions or agendas.

Findings come from an exhaustive secondary analyses of in-depth interview data collected for the National Abortion Attitudes Study, a large qualitative study of Americans’ thoughts regarding myriad dimensions of abortion. The report’s Appendix includes more detail regarding the study’s Methodology.Part One (“Conflicting Perceptions”) focuses on adoption perceptions across the full interview sample (n=217). It names and illustrates seven themes (previewed in Table 1) that surface commonly within Americans’ adoption talk.

Part Two (“Unplanned Pregnancy Decision Narratives”) narrows attention to a subset of female interviewees who have personally made decisions regarding unplanned or unintended pregnancies. This section of the report identifies and illustrates seven key findings (previewed in Table 2) observed within the ways that women talk through their own experiences and decision making processes vis-à-vis unplanned pregnancy and adoption pathways.

The Conclusion reviews potential implications that this report’s findings carry for understanding adoption and pregnancy decision making in the contemporary United States, posing avenues for further research and better informed, more productive public conversations.