Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee this past week increased the percentage of Americans who say they want Samuel Alito confirmed to the Supreme Court to replace pro-abortion Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Most Americans in the recent poll also expect the Senate to confirm him.

A new Rasmussen Reports national poll finds 39 per cent of respondents believe the Senate should confirm Alito’s nomination, up six points since early December.

Just 26 percent of Americans oppose Alito's nomination, a percentage that increased just one percent since the last Rasmussen poll last month. The number of people who aren't sure about Alito's nomination dropped from 42 percent to 35 percent in the recent poll.

The poll also found 68 percent of respondents believe it is very or somewhat likely that Alito will serve on the Supreme Court, with 43 percent saying it is very likely.

Only 10 percent said it was not very likely that Alito would be confirmed and a scant 1 percent said it was not at all likely that he would be approved by the Senate.

Alito appears to be on his way to being confirmed as virtually all of the 55 Republicans have said they support his nomination. At least two Democrats have said they will not likely back a filibuster that pro-abortion groups want Senate Democrats to block Alito's bid.

During the hearings Alito was asked dozens of questions about abortion and would not agree that Roe v. Wade is "settled law" and indicated that, while he considers the decision a precedent, there's no obligation for the high court to always uphold it.

The Rasmussen Reports poll interviewed 1,000 American adults and was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, during the hearings. The margin of error is 4 percent.