November 21, 2009
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Zogby Interactive: Sharp Red, Blue Divide On U.S. Healthcare System
63% Give System Positive Rating, Only 43% Give Value of Healthcare Positive Rating, Plurality Believes Affordable Care is a Right
UTICA, New York - U.S. adults of different political ideologies have extremely different views about the nation's healthcare system, according to a new Zogby International interactive poll. Overall 63% rate the U.S. healthcare system as excellent or good, but only 43% give those combined high marks to the system's value. Forty-seven percent believe that affordable healthcare is a right, and 30% say it is a privilege. Another 20% believe it is neither.
The poll was administered Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 and consisted of 2,794 U.S. adults. The margin of error is +/-1.9%.
The differences based on party affiliation are so sharp that Democrats are 10 times more likely to rate the nation's healthcare system as poor than are Republicans, and eight times more likely to say healthcare is a right.
Here is how each question breaks out overall and by party affiliation and other demographic variables.
|
Quality of U.S. Healthcare System |
All Adults |
Democrats |
Republicans |
Independents |
|
Excellent |
28% |
7% |
53% |
30% |
|
Good |
35% |
31% |
37% |
37% |
|
Fair |
20% |
31% |
7% |
19% |
|
Poor |
17% |
31% |
3% |
14% |
Though majorities of both groups give positive ratings to the healthcare system's quality, married adults are more likely to give higher ratings than single folks. Seventy percent of married adults rated the system as excellent or good compared to 54% of singles. Positive ratings went up markedly by income, ranging from 39% good or excellent for households earning less than $25,000 annually to 72% for those in the $75,000 to $100,000 bracket. Seventy-four percent of weekly Wal-Mart shoppers gave the two highest ratings, compared to 46% of those who never shop at Wal-Mart. Also more likely to choose excellent or good were Born-Again Christians (77%).
|
Value of U.S. Healthcare System |
All Adults |
Democrats |
Republicans |
Independents |
|
Excellent |
13% |
2% |
27% |
12% |
|
Good |
30% |
18% |
45% |
29% |
|
Fair |
25% |
26% |
20% |
29% |
|
Poor |
31% |
51% |
8% |
29% |
In determining the value of the U.S. healthcare system, there are significant differences based on age. Among the First GlobalTMgeneration, those born between 1979 and 1990, 33% rate the system's value as excellent or good, compared to 58% of Privates (64 and older.)
|
Is Healthcare A Right or Privilege? |
All Adults |
Democrats |
Republicans |
Independents |
|
Right |
47% |
82% |
10% |
39% |
|
Privilege |
30% |
10% |
53% |
33% |
|
Neither |
20% |
8% |
32% |
26% |
In addition to Republicans, a plurality of these groups said healthcare was a privilege: Born-again Christians (45%), weekly Wal-Mart shoppers (41%), conservatives (54%), self-identified members of the Investor Class (39%), those who attend religious services more than one per week (40%) and NASCAR fans (47%).
Pollster John Zogby: "Once again, we find Democrats and Republicans living in different realities; this time on the quality and value of our healthcare system. Some of this is due to demographic differences, since younger and poorer Americans are more likely to be Democrats and less likely to have affordable coverage than wealthier and older adults. But the rest is based on very different perceptions about the superiority of American healthcare and whether it needs to be changed. More stark is the cleavage between Democrats and Republicans on whether all Americans are entitled to healthcare. Since Independents lie near the middle of the party extremes on all three questions, it's no wonder that Congress has so much difficulty passing healthcare legislation."
(10/15/2009)
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