1978 – 2016
| Survey | Year | % Pro Legalization | % Con Legalization | |
| 1. | Marist Institute for Public Opinion | 2016 | 49 | 44 |
| 2. | YouGov | 2015 | 44 | 46 |
| 3. | YouGov | 2012 | 38 | 48 |
| 4. | Social Science Research Center | 1995 | 19 | 81 |
| 5. | Louis Harris and Associates | 1990 | 31 | 46 |
| 6. | Yankelovich | 1985 | 23 | 72 |
| 7. | Audits & Surveys Worldwide | 1982 | 29 | 63 |
| 8. | Louis Harris and Associates | 1978 | 24 | 37 |
1. Marist Institute for Public Opinion (2016)
| “Do you think prostitution between consenting adults: Should be legal or Should not be legal?” |
 |
| Sample: 516 national adults, aged 18 and older. Margin of Error: ±4.3 Source: Marist Poll, “Exclusive Poll Taken-Marist Poll,” marist.edu, May 31, 2016 |
| “Do you think that prostitution should be legal?” |
 |
| Sample: 1,000 national adults. Margin of Error: ±4 Source: YouGov, “Country Split on Legalizing Prostitution,” yougov.com, Sep. 1, 2015 |
| “Should prostitution be legalized?” |
 |
| Sample: unknown number of national adults. Margin of Error: unknown Source: YouGov, “Polling the Political Debate on the Legalization of Prostitution,” yougov.com, Mar. 23, 2012 |
4. Social Science Research Center (1995)
| “Although some are currently legal, please tell me which of the following you think should be legal: – Prostitution?” |
 |
| Sample: 1,436 national adults. Margin of Error: unknown Source: Social Science Research Center, 1995 [ProCon.org received the raw data from David May, Ph.D. who used it for the article “Tolerance of nonconformity and its effect on attitudes toward the legalization of prostitution: A multivariate analysis” in the Oct. 1999 Deviant Behavior. ProCon.org tallied the data, removed the null results from sub-samples, and then rounded to the closest whole number on the percentages.] |
5. Louis Harris and Associates (1990)
| “Please tell me which of the phrases on this card describes how you feel that activity should be treated — should it be left to the individual, should it be allowed, but regulated by law, or should it be totally forbidden by law? – Engaging in prostitution.” |
 |
| Sample: 2,254 nationwide participants. Margin of Error: unknown Source: Tom W. Smith, “Public Opinion on Prostitution: Trends, Comparisons, and Models,” National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago, Aug. 1998 |
| “Do you favor or oppose: The legalization of prostitution?” |
 |
| Sample: 1,014. Margin of Error: unknown Source: Tom W. Smith, “Public Opinion on Prostitution: Trends, Comparisons, and Models,” National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago, Aug. 1998 |
7. Audits & Surveys Worldwide (1982)
| “Would you favor or oppose legalizing prostitution throughout the United States?” |
 |
| Sample: unknown. Margin of Error: unknown Source: Tom W. Smith, “Public Opinion on Prostitution: Trends, Comparisons, and Models,” National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago, Aug. 1998 |
8. Louis Harris and Associates (1978)
| “Please tell me which of the phrases on this card describes how you feel that activity should be treated — should it be left to the individual, should it be allowed, but regulated by law, or should it be totally forbidden by law? – Engaging in prostitution.” |
 |
| Sample: 1,513 nationwide participants. Margin of Error: unknown Source: Tom W. Smith, “Public Opinion on Prostitution: Trends, Comparisons, and Models,” National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago, Aug. 1998 |
