Awareness of medication abortion among a nationally representative U.S. sample, 2021-2022.

Objectives: Assess public awareness of medication abortion in the U.S.

Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 2021-2022 with a probability-based sample, calculating the prevalence of medication abortion awareness and assessing its associations with participant characteristics using multivariable logistic regression.

Results: A total of 45% of adults (7201/16,113) and 49% of eligible 15-17-year-old females (175/358) invited completed the survey. In all, 64% of 6992 participants assigned female at birth, and 57% of 360 participants assigned male reported awareness of medication abortion. Race, age, education, poverty level, religion, sexual identity, abortion history, and attitudes toward abortion legality were associated with differences in awareness.

Conclusions: Medication abortion awareness differs by participant groups and is critical for expanding abortion access.

Implications: Tailored health information for groups with less awareness of medication abortion may help spread knowledge of the method and how to access it.