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Methodology
The YG Policy Center’s survey of 1000 registered voters was conducted March 11-14, 2012. Respondents were selected randomly from a random-digit-dialing sample including both cellular and landline telephone numbers, and were contacted by live interviewers.
NATIONAL SURVEY OF REGISTERED VOTERS
REGARDING HEALTH CARE REFORM
MARCH 11-14, 2012
Hello, this is _____ with Opinionology, a national public opinion research company. We're talking with people in your area today about some issues facing the country. We are not trying to sell anything, your answers are completely confidential, and we would really appreciate your cooperation (DO NOT PAUSE).
| FOR CELL PHONE SAMPLE: | |||
| CELL 1. Have I reached you on a cell phone? | |||
| YES........................................................................................... | 1 | GO TO Q. CELL 2 | |
| NO............................................................................................. | 2 | THANK AND CLOSE | |
| CELL 2. Are you in a place right now where you can safely take the survey? | |||
| YES........................................................................................... | 1 | GO TO Q. A | |
| NO............................................................................................. | 2 | SCHEDULE CALLBACK | |
| NOT WILLING TO TAKE SURVEY..................................... | 3 | THANK AND CLOSE | |
| A. Are you registered to vote in the county in which you live? | |||
| YES........................................................................................... | 1 | GO TO Q. C | |
| NO............................................................................................. | 2 | GO TO Q. B | |
| B. Is there anyone else in your household who is registered to vote in your county? | IF YES, ASK: May I speak | ||
| with that person, please? | |||
| YES........................................................................................... | 1 | GO TO INTRO | |
| NO............................................................................................. | 2 | THANK AND CLOSE | |
C. How likely would you say you are to vote in the elections for President and Congress this year: absolutely certain, very likely, somewhat likely, or not too likely?
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN ................................................... | 71% | 76% | 68% | 72% |
| VERY LIKELY ..................................................................... | 19% | 17% | 21% | 18% |
| SOMEWHAT LIKELY .......................................................... | 5% | 4% | 6% | 5% |
| NOT TOO LIKELY................................................................ | 4% | 2% | 5% | 5% |
| DON’T KNOW/REFUSED.................................................... | 1% | 0% | 1% | 1% |
Results are based on 1000 respondents, MoE = ±3.10 percent. Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 1
Views of Health Care Reform
1. Do you currently have health insurance coverage? IF YES, ASK: Are you covered through a government program like Medicare or Medicaid, through employer-provided health insurance, or do you pay for your health insurance yourself?
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| YES/GOVERNMENT PROGRAM ...................................... | 22% | 18% | 21% | 28% |
| YES/EMPLOYER-PROVIDED............................................ | 50% | 56% | 51% | 45% |
| YES/PAY FOR INDIVIDUALLY ........................................ | 17% | 19% | 18% | 15% |
| NO, NOT COVERED............................................................ | 10% | 6% | 10% | 11% |
| DON'T KNOW ....................................................................... | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
2. Overall, how satisfied are you with your health insurance coverage: (ROTATE FRONT TO BACK, BACK TO FRONT: very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied)?
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| VERY SATISFIED................................................................ | 53% | 57% | 48% | 54% |
| SOMEWHAT SATISFIED.................................................... | 36% | 36% | 39% | 33% |
| SOMEWHAT DISSATISFIED .............................................. | 6% | 3% | 7% | 8% |
| VERY DISSATISFIED .......................................................... | 4% | 4% | 5% | 3% |
| DON'T KNOW ....................................................................... | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| SATISFIED............................................................................ | 89% | 93% | 87% | 87% |
| DISSATISFIED ..................................................................... | 10% | 7% | 12% | 11% |
| DON’T KNOW....................................................................... | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% |
Note: Results based on 896 respondents who have health insurance coverage.
| 3. | Overall, do you support or oppose the health care reform plan that passed in 2010? (IF SUPPORT/OPPOSE, | ||||
| ASK: Would that be strongly (SUPPORT/OPPOSE) or just somewhat (SUPPORT/OPPOSE)? | |||||
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | ||
| STRONGLY SUPPORT........................................................ | 22% | 4% | 18% | 43% | |
| SOMEWHAT SUPPORT ...................................................... | 16% | 5% | 17% | 24% | |
| SOMEWHAT OPPOSE......................................................... | 11% | 13% | 15% | 7% | |
| STRONGLY OPPOSE .......................................................... | 34% | 64% | 31% | 8% | |
| DON'T KNOW ...................................................................... | 17% | 13% | 20% | 18% | |
| SUPPORT .............................................................................. | 38% | 9% | 35% | 67% | |
| OPPOSE................................................................................. | 45% | 77% | 46% | 15% | |
| DON’T KNOW...................................................................... | 17% | 13% | 20% | 18% | |
4. Since health care reform was passed in 2010, are your health care costs going up, going down, or staying about the same?
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| GOING UP............................................................................. | 47% | 58% | 53% | 31% |
| GOING DOWN ...................................................................... | 2% | 2% | 1% | 5% |
| STAYING THE SAME ......................................................... | 45% | 36% | 41% | 59% |
| DON'T KNOW ....................................................................... | 6% | 4% | 5% | 5% |
Results are based on 1000 respondents, MoE = ±3.10 percent. Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 2
Do you think the health care reform law passed in 2010 will increase, decrease, or have no effect on each of the following: (RANDOMIZE)
| NO | DON'T | |||||
| INCREASE | DECREASE | EFFECT | KNOW | |||
| 5. | Your health care costs | ALL | 58% | 7% | 26% | 9% |
| REP | 77% | 2% | 15% | 7% | ||
| IND | 60% | 7% | 24% | 8% | ||
| DEM | 39% | 11% | 40% | 10% | ||
| 6. | The federal deficit | ALL | 60% | 7% | 19% | 14% |
| REP | 79% | 2% | 8% | 10% | ||
| IND | 64% | 7% | 17% | 12% | ||
| DEM | 40% | 11% | 31% | 18% | ||
| 7. | Your health insurance or Medicare | ALL | 56% | 6% | 25% | 13% |
| premiums | REP | 75% | 2% | 14% | 9% | |
| IND | 56% | 7% | 25% | 11% | ||
| DEM | 39% | 7% | 38% | 16% | ||
| 8. | Your taxes | ALL | 59% | 4% | 26% | 11% |
| REP | 83% | 2% | 8% | 7% | ||
| IND | 60% | 3% | 26% | 11% | ||
| DEM | 38% | 7% | 41% | 15% | ||
| 9. | The quality of health care you receive | ALL | 18% | 30% | 42% | 10% |
| REP | 13% | 49% | 29% | 8% | ||
| IND | 15% | 29% | 45% | 11% | ||
| DEM | 25% | 13% | 52% | 10% | ||
Results are based on 1000 respondents, MoE = ±3.10 percent. Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 3
Now I am going to read a list of statements that have been made about the health care reform plan that passed in 2010. For each one, would you please tell me if you think that statement is true or false: (RANDOMIZE)
| DON’T | ||||||
| TRUE | FALSE | KNOW | ||||
| 10. | If you like your current health plan, you will be able to | ALL | 64% | 27% | 9% | |
| keep it. | REP | 46% | 45% | 10% | ||
| IND | 64% | 28% | 8% | |||
| DEM | 82% | 11% | 7% | |||
| 11. | The plan will lower health insurance premiums for the | ALL | 21% | 67% | 13% | |
| average family by two thousand five hundred dollars | REP | 5% | 90% | 5% | ||
| per year. | IND | 18% | 68% | 14% | ||
| DEM | 36% | 47% | 17% | |||
| 12. | The plan will not increase taxes for anyone who earns | ALL | 32% | 57% | 10% | |
| under two hundred fifty thousand dollars a year. | REP | 12% | 81% | 7% | ||
| IND | 31% | 57% | 11% | |||
| DEM | 53% | 36% | 10% | |||
| 13. | The plan will lower health care costs for individuals, | ALL | 26% | 64% | 10% | |
| businesses, and the federal government. | REP | 10% | 85% | 5% | ||
| IND | 21% | 71% | 9% | |||
| DEM | 48% | 39% | 12% | |||
| 14. | The plan will not lead to a doctor shortage, rationing, or | ALL | 37% | 56% | 7% | |
| harm the quality of care. | REP | 17% | 77% | 5% | ||
| IND | 39% | 54% | 7% | |||
| DEM | 54% | 39% | 7% | |||
| 15. | The plan will not add one dime to the federal budget | ALL | 20% | 71% | 9% | |
| deficit. | REP | 8% | 89% | 3% | ||
| IND | 19% | 73% | 8% | |||
| DEM | 32% | 53% | 15% | |||
| 16. | The plan will not require cuts in Medicare. | ALL | 30% | 57% | 13% | |
| REP | 12% | 79% | 9% | |||
| IND | 31% | 56% | 13% | |||
| DEM | 46% | 38% | 16% | |||
| 17. | Do you think the federal government does or does not have the authority to require every American to buy | |||||
| health care insurance or pay a fine? | ||||||
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |||
| DOES ..................................................................................... | 24% | 8% | 22% | 41% | ||
| DOES NOT ............................................................................ | 69% | 88% | 70% | 52% | ||
| DON'T KNOW ....................................................................... | 7% | 4% | 7% | 7% | ||
Results are based on 1000 respondents, MoE = ±3.10 percent. Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 4
Repeal and Replace
18. Do you think Congress should or should not repeal and replace the health care reform law passed in 2010?
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| SHOULD REPEAL ............................................................... | 53% | 82% | 56% | 24% |
| SHOULD NOT REPEAL ...................................................... | 37% | 12% | 33% | 65% |
| DON'T KNOW ...................................................................... | 10% | 6% | 11% | 11% |
19.Which of the following statements comes closer to your view: (ROTATE)
a)President Obama’s health care plan is an important achievement that will allow all Americans to have access to health insurance, and should be implemented as soon as possible.
b)President Obama’s health care plan will add too much to the deficit, raise taxes, and give the government too much power over health care, and should be repealed and replaced.
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED............................................ | 40% | 7% | 36% | 73% |
| SHOULD BE REPEALED.................................................... | 54% | 89% | 57% | 18% |
| DON'T KNOW ....................................................................... | 7% | 4% | 7% | 8% |
20.Which of the following statements comes closer to your view: (ROTATE)
a)President Obama did the right thing by focusing on passing health care reform his first year in office. Rising health care costs and the uninsured were major problems we could no longer wait to address.
b)President Obama did the wrong thing by focusing on passing health care reform his first year in office. He should have worked harder to get the economy going and creating jobs before moving on to other issues.
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| DID RIGHT THING.............................................................. | 38% | 6% | 37% | 69% |
| DID WRONG THING ........................................................... | 56% | 91% | 55% | 25% |
| DON'T KNOW ....................................................................... | 6% | 3% | 7% | 5% |
21. Would you be (ROTATE: more likely or less likely) to vote for a candidate for Congress who supported repealing and replacing the 2010 health care reform law, or would the issue have no effect on your support?
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| MORE LIKELY..................................................................... | 39% | 66% | 38% | 18% |
| LESS LIKELY....................................................................... | 23% | 8% | 22% | 38% |
| NO EFFECT .......................................................................... | 30% | 21% | 33% | 36% |
| DON'T KNOW ....................................................................... | 8% | 5% | 8% | 8% |
Results are based on 1000 respondents, MoE = ±3.10 percent. Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 5
Now I would like to ask you about several other proposals some people have made to reform health care. For each of the following, please tell me if you support or oppose that proposal: (RANDOMIZE)
| DON'T | |||||
| SUPPORT | OPPOSE | KNOW | |||
| Reforming Medical Malpractice | ALL | ||||
| 22. | Reforming the medical malpractice system to reduce the | 71% | 20% | 9% | |
| number of lawsuits against doctors and hospitals. | REP | 81% | 13% | 6% | |
| IND | 74% | 18% | 8% | ||
| DEM | 61% | 29% | 10% | ||
| Controlling Costs | ALL | ||||
| 23. | Allowing young people to purchase health insurance | 84% | 10% | 6% | |
| policies with basic, limited coverage at much lower | REP | 84% | 8% | 8% | |
| premiums than currently available. | IND | 85% | 11% | 4% | |
| DEM | 83% | 13% | 4% | ||
| 24. | Allowing people to purchase health insurance across state | ALL | 78% | 15% | 7% |
| lines to increase the number of options in the marketplace. | REP | 80% | 14% | 6% | |
| IND | 82% | 14% | 4% | ||
| DEM | 73% | 18% | 9% | ||
| 25. | Allowing people to purchase health insurance on an a la | ALL | 81% | 15% | 5% |
| carte basis, so they could buy a cheaper policy that does | REP | 86% | 11% | 4% | |
| not cover things they do not need or want. | IND | 84% | 11% | 5% | |
| DEM | 74% | 21% | 4% | ||
| Ensuring Access to Health Insurance | ALL | ||||
| 26. | Allowing individuals to purchase health insurance | 86% | 9% | 6% | |
| coverage with pre-tax dollars, so that they can have | REP | 87% | 7% | 6% | |
| an insurance policy they own themselves, and can keep | IND | 87% | 8% | 5% | |
| if they change jobs. | DEM | 85% | 11% | 5% | |
| 27. | Requiring health insurance plans to offer insurance to | ALL | 89% | 8% | 4% |
| people who have a pre-existing condition. | REP | 84% | 12% | 4% | |
| IND | 89% | 8% | 4% | ||
| DEM | 93% | 4% | 3% | ||
| Improving Flexibility | ALL | ||||
| 28. | Expanding health savings accounts that allow people to | 83% | 11% | 6% | |
| save money tax-free for use on any medical expenses. | REP | 89% | 7% | 4% | |
| IND | 84% | 11% | 5% | ||
| DEM | 79% | 15% | 7% | ||
| 29. | Using block grants to give states more flexibility on how | ALL | 60% | 24% | 16% |
| they administer their Medicaid plans. | REP | 68% | 19% | 13% | |
| IND | 61% | 24% | 15% | ||
| DEM | 52% | 31% | 17% | ||
| 30. | Encouraging health care reform at the state level, rather | ALL | 67% | 25% | 8% |
| than the federal level, so that each state can enact reforms | REP | 83% | 11% | 6% | |
| that are best for its residents. | IND | 69% | 25% | 5% | |
| DEM | 52% | 39% | 9% | ||
Results are based on 1000 respondents, MoE = ±3.10 percent. Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 6
| DON'T | ||||
| SUPPORT | OPPOSE | KNOW | ||
| Expanding Choice | ALL | |||
| 31. Allowing seniors who choose to do so to purchase private | 62% | 27% | 11% | |
| health insurance coverage with Medicare money, instead | REP | 71% | 20% | 10% |
| of using traditional Medicare. | IND | 61% | 27% | 11% |
| DEM | 56% | 34% | 10% | |
| 32. Ensuring that patients and doctors can make health care | ALL | 85% | 10% | 6% |
| decisions without the interference of government | REP | 93% | 4% | 3% |
| bureaucrats. | IND | 87% | 8% | 6% |
| DEM | 76% | 17% | 8% | |
Demographics
Now I have a few questions just for statistical purposes.
33. In politics today, do you normally think of yourself as (ROTATE: a Republican, an independent, or a Democrat)?
| ALL | ||
| IF "REP" OR "DEM", ASK: | STRONG REP......................... | 20% |
| Would you consider yourself a strong or | NOT-SO-STRONG REP.......... | 9% |
| a not-so-strong Republican/Democrat? | IND LEAN REP...................... | 10% |
| IND/NO PREF ........................ | 13% | |
| IF "INDEPENDENT," ASK: | IND LEAN DEM .................... | 10% |
| Do you think of yourself as closer to the | NOT-SO-STRONG DEM ....... | 11% |
| (ROTATE: Republican or Democratic | STRONG DEM ....................... | 23% |
| Party)? | REFUSED ................................ | 5% |
| 34. | When thinking about politics today, do you normally consider yourself to be (ROTATE: very conservative, | ||||
| somewhat conservative, moderate, somewhat liberal, or very liberal)? | |||||
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | ||
| VERY CONSERVATIVE ..................................................... | 19% | 39% | 11% | 9% | |
| SOMEWHAT CONSERVATIVE......................................... | 26% | 38% | 26% | 15% | |
| MODERATE ......................................................................... | 26% | 13% | 39% | 26% | |
| SOMEWHAT LIBERAL....................................................... | 16% | 5% | 15% | 30% | |
| VERY LIBERAL.................................................................... | 8% | 2% | 5% | 16% | |
| NO OPINION ......................................................................... | 6% | 3% | 5% | 5% | |
| 35. | Would you please stop me when I read the last level of education you completed? | ||||
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | ||
| LESS THAN HIGH SCHOOL ............................................... | 3% | 2% | 3% | 4% | |
| HIGH SCHOOL GRAD ........................................................ | 16% | 12% | 13% | 24% | |
| SOME COLLEGE ................................................................. | 26% | 31% | 26% | 22% | |
| COLLEGE GRAD ................................................................. | 32% | 39% | 33% | 25% | |
| GRADUATE OR PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL.................... | 21% | 15% | 24% | 24% | |
| REFUSED (DO NOT READ) ................................................ | 3% | 1% | 2% | 1% | |
Results are based on 1000 respondents, MoE = ±3.10 percent. Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 7
36. Would you please stop me when I read the correct category for your age?
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| 18 TO 34 ................................................................................ | 21% | 20% | 25% | 20% |
| 35 TO 49 ................................................................................ | 34% | 41% | 36% | 25% |
| 50 TO 64 ................................................................................ | 27% | 25% | 24% | 32% |
| 65 OR OLDER....................................................................... | 18% | 14% | 15% | 23% |
| REFUSED (DO NOT READ) ................................................ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
37. Would you please stop me when I read the correct category for your total household income?
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| $25,000 OR LESS.................................................................. | 14% | 10% | 12% | 21% |
| $25,000 TO $50,000 .............................................................. | 16% | 13% | 20% | 17% |
| $50,000 TO $75,000 .............................................................. | 19% | 21% | 21% | 18% |
| $75,000 TO $100,000 ............................................................ | 15% | 16% | 14% | 17% |
| $100,000 TO $150,000 .......................................................... | 13% | 16% | 15% | 10% |
| $150,000 TO $250,000 ........................................................... | 7% | 8% | 7% | 5% |
| $250,000 OR MORE............................................................... | 3% | 3% | 1% | 4% |
| REFUSED.............................................................................. | 13% | 14% | 11% | 9% |
| 38. Would you call yourself an evangelical Christian or not? | ||||
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| YES ........................................................................................ | 33% | 46% | 28% | 27% |
| NO.......................................................................................... | 58% | 47% | 64% | 65% |
| DON'T KNOW (DNR) ........................................................... | 5% | 5% | 4% | 5% |
| REFUSED (DNR)................................................................... | 4% | 2% | 4% | 3% |
39.Are you or is anyone in your immediate family a member of a labor union? IF YES, ASK: Is it a government employee or private sector union?
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| YES/GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE UNION....................... | 10% | 7% | 10% | 12% |
| YES/PRIVATE SECTOR UNION........................................ | 11% | 8% | 12% | 12% |
| NO.......................................................................................... | 75% | 82% | 74% | 72% |
| DON'T KNOW ....................................................................... | 5% | 3% | 4% | 4% |
40.Are you from a Hispanic or Spanish-speaking background?
IF NO, ASK: What would you say is your main race: white, African American, Asian, or something else?
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | |
| YES/HISPANIC...................................................................... | 8% | 7% | 5% | 12% |
| NO/WHITE............................................................................ | 75% | 91% | 82% | 57% |
| NO/BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN .................................. | 13% | 0% | 9% | 28% |
| NO/ASIAN.............................................................................. | 1% | 0% | 1% | 2% |
| NO/OTHER ............................................................................ | 1% | 1% | 2% | 1% |
| REFUSED............................................................................... | 1% | 0% | 2% | 0% |
Results are based on 1000 respondents, MoE = ±3.10 percent. Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 8
| 41. | Gender (from observation): | ||||
| ALL | REP | IND | DEM | ||
| MALE .................................................................................... | 47% | 46% | 53% | 40% | |
| FEMALE................................................................................ | 53% | 54% | 47% | 60% | |
42. Finally, in what state do you live?
_______________________________________________________________________
That's all the questions I have. Thank you very much for sharing your opinions with us.
Results are based on 1000 respondents, MoE = ±3.10 percent. Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 9