These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters nationwide favor repeal of the recently passed national health care law. The latest weekly Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey on the subject finds that 42% oppose repeal.
This is the second lowest level of support for repeal in 17 weeks of surveying since the health care bill was passed by Congress. It marks what appears to be a continuing downward trend in support for repeal since June. Last week, support for repeal spiked back up to 60%, but that may have been due to renewed publicity about the law as it actually began to be implemented.
Support for repeal has ranged from a high of 63% in May to a low of 52% in late June.
The new findings include 44% who Strongly Favor repeal and 33% who Strongly Oppose it.
Among those who have insurance, 80% rate their coverage as good or excellent. Forty percent (40%) say it's at least somewhat likely they'll have to switch that insurance because of the health care law, but 48% say it's not very or not at all likely.
This concern about being forced to switch insurance coverage has been significant throughout the debate over the president's plans for health care reform. Scott Rasmussen wrote a Wall Street Journal column earlier this year citing this as the fundamental issue in the debate.
Democrats are less likely to see it as a big issue. By a two-to-one margin , Democrats think workers forced off a private insurance plan and on to a government program would be better off. Republicans and unaffiliated voters overwhelmingly disagree.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 10-11, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology .
The current survey also shows that 41% believe the new health care law will be good for the country, while 50% believe it will be bad.
Repeal is supported by 79% of Republicans and 52% of those not affiliated with either major party. Among Democrats, 62% oppose repeal.
Political conservatives favor repeal, while liberals and moderates oppose it. Those in the Political Class strongly oppose repeal while Mainstream voters strongly favor it.
Support for repeal is strongest among middle income Americans.
However, voters are narrowly divided over whether the law is likely to actually be repealed .
The dynamics of support for repeal have not changed in the months since the bill became law. In fact, opposition to the law has changed little since last November, long before Congress enacted the legislation. Prior to passage of the law, Scott Rasmussen wrote a column explaining "Why Obama Can't Move the Health Care Numbers."
Rasmussen Reports will continue tracking support for the repeal effort on a weekly basis for as long as it remains a significant issue. New updates will be released each Monday morning.
Data released earlier shows that most voters believe the plan will increase both the federal deficit and the cost of health care.
Supporters of the health care plan have often looked north to Canada's nationalized system as a model for what they have in mind, but just 32% of voters nationwide say Canada has a better health care system than the United States.