As the four-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) approaches this week, the law remains more unpopular with the public than not. However, most opponents of the law would rather see elected officials try and fix the law than repeal it. These are the new public opinion findings from a recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center.
The Pew Research Center poll found that 53% disapprove of the 2010 health care law while 41% approve of the law. These public opinion stats are virtually unchanged since last September. So, while many of the major technical bugs have been fixed with healthcare.gov, the public's opinion of the law is still unfavorable.
More ACA Disapproval than Approval, But Most Want Law Fixed Not Repealed
The national survey was conducted February 27 - March 16, 2014 among 3,335 adults.
Here are some of the key stats.
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The majority of ACA opponents (representing 30% of the public overall) want politicians to do what they can to make the law work as well as possible, while 19% of the public wants elected officials to do what they can to make it fail.
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There continues to be deep partisan differences – 72% of Democrats approve of law compared with 37% of independents and just 8% of Republicans.
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The public feels strongly about their views. Overall, 77% of those who disapprove say they feel this way very strongly (41% of public); 64% who approve hold this view very strongly (26% of the public).
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Should it be the government's responsibility to guarantee health care coverage? Overall, 47% say it is the federal government’s responsibility to make sure all Americans have coverage, while 50% say this is not the government’s responsibility.
Poll & Charts Source: Pew Research
About Pew Research
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
