- CBS / New York Times (Jan. 15-19, 2011)
- NBC / Wall Street Journal (Jan. 13-17, 2011)
- AP / GfK Roper (Jan. 5-11, 2011)
- Harvard / Kaiser Family Foundation (Jan. 4-14, 2011)
- CNN / Opinion Research (Dec. 17-19, 2010)
- FOX News / Opinion Dynamics (Dec. 14-15, 2010)
- USA Today / Gallup (Nov. 4-7, 2010)
- FOX News / Opinion Dynamics (Mar. 16-17, 2010)
- Kaiser Family Foundation (Mar. 10-15, 2010)
- CBS News / New York Times (Apr. 1-5, 2009)
1. CBS / New York Times (Jan. 15-19, 2011)
“Do you think Congress should try to repeal the health care law that was passed last year, or should they let it stand?”
Repeal law | Let it stand | Don’t know |
40% | 48% | 12% |
“Among those who say ‘repeal the law,’ what part of the health care law that was passed last year would you MOST like to see repealed?”
Republican | Democratic * | Independent | |
Insurance mandate | 27% | Not applicable (N/A) | 31% |
Everything | 20% | N/A | 26% |
Funding abortions | 3% | N/A | 1% |
Higher premiums | 3% | N/A | 0% |
Higher taxes | 1% | N/A | 2% |
Requiring business to provide insurance | 1% | N/A | 1% |
Gov’t involvement | 1% | N/A | 2% |
Paying for uninsured | 0% | N/A | 1% |
Death panels | 1% | N/A | 1% |
No choice | 0% | N/A | 0% |
Cover children to age 26 | 2% | N/A | 0% |
Cover pre-existing condition | 1% | N/A | 1% |
Medicare | 1% | N/A | 1% |
Other | 3% | N/A | 4% |
Don’t know / Not applicable | 36% | N/A | 29% |
*None of the Democrats surveyed wanted to repeal the health care law
Subjects: 1,036 adults
Margin of Error: ±3%
Source: CBS News and New York Times , “Repeal Health Care Reform?,” , Jan. 20, 2011
2. NBC / Wall Street Journal (Jan. 13-17, 2011)
“From what you have heard about Barack Obama’s health care plan that was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President last year, do you think his plan is a good idea or a bad idea?”
Good idea | Bad idea | Do not have an opinion | Not sure |
39% | 39% | 21% | 1% |
“Would you favor or oppose repealing and eliminating this new health care law?”
Favor | Oppose | No opinion | Not sure |
45% | 46% | 7% | 2% |
Subjects: 1,000 adults
Margin of Error: ± 3.1%
Source: NBC News and Wall Street Journal , “Study #11023,” , Jan. 2011
3. AP / GfK Roper (Jan. 5-11, 2011)
“In general, do you support, oppose or neither support nor oppose the health care reforms that were passed by Congress in March?”
Support | Neither support nor oppose | Oppose | Don’t know |
40% | 16% | 41% | 3% |
“Do you favor, oppose, or neither favor nor oppose a law that would require every American to have health insurance, or pay money to the government as a penalty if they do not, unless the person is very poor?”
Favor | Oppose | Neither favor nor oppose | Don’t know |
31% | 59% | 13% | 3% |
“Do you favor, oppose, or neither favor nor oppose a law requiring insurance companies to sell health insurance to a person who is currently sick or has had a serious illness in the past, which would probably cause most Americans to pay more for health insurance?”
Favor | Oppose | Neither favor nor oppose | Don’t know |
50% | 34% | 17% | 4% |
“Do you favor, oppose, or neither favor nor oppose a law saying that an insurance company cannot stop selling health insurance to one of their customers if that person gets a serious illness?”
Favor | Oppose | Neither favor nor oppose | Don’t know |
59% | 34% | 7% | 1% |
Subjects: 1,001 adults
Margin of Error: ± 4.2%
Source: Associated Press and GFKCustom Research North America, “The AP-GfK Poll: January, 2011,” , Jan. 2011
4. Harvard / Kaiser Family Foundation (Jan. 4-14, 2011)
“As you may know, a health reform bill was signed into law early last year. Given what you know about the health reform law, do you have a generally favorable or generally unfavorable opinion of it?”
Generally favorable | Generally unfavorable | Don’t know/refused |
41% | 50% | 9% |
“What would you like to see Congress do when it comes to the health care law?”
Expand law | Keep law as is | Repeal law & replace with Republican alternative | Repeal law & not replace it | |
Democrats | 51% | 32% | 3% | 8% |
Republicans | 7% | 8% | 47% | 30% |
Independents | 24% | 16% | 25% | 22% |
Total | 28% | 19% | 23% | 20% |
Subjects: 1,502 adults
Margin of Error: ± 3%
Source: HarvardSchool of Public Health and Kaiser Family Foundation , “The Public’s Health Care Agenda for the 112th Congress,” , Jan. 2011
5. CNN / Opinion Research Corporation (Dec. 17-19, 2010)
“As you may know, a bill that makes major changes to the country’s health care system became law earlier this year. Based on what you have read or heard about that legislation, do you generally favor or generally oppose it?”
Favor | Oppose | No opinion |
43% | 54% | 3% |
Now here are a few provisions in the health care bill. Please tell me whether you favor or oppose each one:
Favor | Oppose | No opinion | |
Requiring all Americans who do not have health insurance to get it | 38% | 60% | 2% |
Preventing health insurance companies from dropping coverage for people who become seriously ill | 61% | 39% | N/A |
Preventing health insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions | 64% | 35% | 1% |
Subjects: 1,008 adults
Margin of Error: ± 3%
Source: CNN and Opinion Research , “CNN / Opinion Research Corporation Poll,” , Dec. 27, 2010
6. FOX News / Opinion Dynamics (Dec. 14-15, 2010)
“Which one of the following comes closest to what you would like to see lawmakers do with the new health care law — would you like lawmakers to repeal the law entirely, repeal parts of the law, expand the law, or leave it as is?”
Repeal it entirely | Repeal parts of the law | Expand it | Leave it as it is | Don’t know | |
Democrats | 4% | 29% | 26% | 28% | 13% |
Republicans | 48% | 32% | 7% | 9% | 4% |
Independents | 30% | 37% | 12% | 11% | 9% |
Total | 27% | 32% | 15% | 16% | 9% |
“Some Americans choose not to buy health insurance even though they can afford it. The president’s plan requires all Americans who can afford it to have some form of health insurance or else pay a penalty. Failure to pay the penalty would result in an even larger fine, a jail sentence of up to one-year, or both. Do you think the government should be able to require all Americans who can afford it to have health insurance or pay a penalty, or not?”
Yes | No | Don’t know | |
Democrats | 45% | 50% | 5% |
Republicans | 13% | 85% | 2% |
Independents | 22% | 75% | 3% |
Total | 28% | 69% | 4% |
Subjects: 900 adults
Margin of Error: ± 3%
Source: Fox News and Opinion Dynamics , “Fox News Poll,” , Dec. 16, 2010
7. USA Today / Gallup (Nov. 4-7, 2010)
“Taking everything into account, do you think the new healthcare law – goes too far, is about right, (or) does not go far enough?”
Goes too far | Is about right | Does not go far enough | No opinion |
42% | 20% | 29% | 8% |
“Asked of those who say healthcare law goes too far: Would you like to see Congress – keep the health care law in place but scale it back considerably, repeal the healthcare law and start work on a new healthcare bill, (or) repeal the healthcare law and NOT pass a new healthcare bill?”
Should keep in place but scale back considerably | Should repeal and star on new bill | Should repeal and not pass a new law | Unspecified |
7% | 25% | 10% | N/A |
Subjects: 1,021 adults
Margin of Error: ± 4%
Source: USA Today and Gallup News Service , “Gallup Poll Social Series: Health and Healthcare,” , Nov. 2010
8. FOX News / Opinion Dynamics (Mar. 16-17, 2010)
“Some Americans choose not to buy health insurance even though they can afford it. The president’s plan requires all Americans who can afford it to have some form of health insurance or else pay a penalty. Failure to pay the penalty would result in an even larger fine, a jail sentence of up to one-year, or both. Do you think the government should be able to require all Americans who can afford it to have health insurance or pay a penalty, or not?”
Yes | No | Don’t know | |
Democrats | 48% | 47% | 4% |
Republicans | 11% | 88% | 1% |
Independents | 26% | 71% | 4% |
Total | 29% | 68% | 3% |
Subjects: 900 adults
Margin of Error: ± 3%
Source: Fox News and Opinion Dynamics , “Fox News Poll,” , Dec. 16, 2010
9. Kaiser Family Foundation (Mar. 10-15, 2010)
“As of right now, do you generally support or generally oppose the health care proposals being discussed in Congress? Is that strongly or somewhat?”
Republican | Democrat | Independent | Total | |
Strongly support | 4% | 52% | 20% | 28% |
Somewhat support | 9% | 23% | 16% | 18% |
Somewhat oppose | 14% | 6% | 10% | 9% |
Strongly oppose | 66% | 9% | 38% | 33% |
“Do you think you and your family would be better off or worse off if the president and Congress passed health care reform, or don’t you think it would make much difference?”
Better off | Worse off | Wouldn’t make much difference |
35% | 32% | 28% |
Subjects:1,208 adults
Margin of Error: ± 3%
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation , “Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Public Opinion on Health Care Issues,” , Mar. 2010
10. CBS News / New York Times (Apr. 1-5, 2009)
“Beside the economy, which of these domestic policy areas do you want the President and Congress to concentrate on MOST right now – health care, energy, education, or Social Security?”
Republican | Democrat | Independent | |
Health care | 22% | 51% | 26% |
Energy | 16% | 9% | 21% |
Education | 26% | 17% | 23% |
Social security | 19% | 14% | 18% |
Something else / combination | 12% | 8% | 94% |
Don’t know | 5% | 1% | 3% |
“Would you be willing or not willing to pay higher taxes so that all Americans have health insurance they can’t lose, no matter what?”
Republican | Democrat | Independent | |
Willing | 29% | 73% | 58% |
Not willing | 66% | 23% | 36% |
Don’t know | 5% | 4% | 6% |
Subjects: 998 adults
Margin of Error: ± 3%
Source: CBS News and New York Times , “Americans’ Views on Health Care,” , April, 6, 2009