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American Attitudes Towards Healthcare

Survey Objectives

The study of What Americans Believe, conducted by Penn Schoen Berland for The Aspen Ideas Festival in partnership with The Atlantic and the Aspen Institute, provides a detailed assessment of what Americans say their values are. This survey of 2,000 Americans identifies the issues that divide us and the ties that unite us as a nation.

These findings are specific to American views on healthcare. 

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Survey Methodology From May 25, 2012 to June 6, 2012, Penn Schoen Berland conducted 2,006 interviews

with the adult general population of the United States. Of the 2,006 interviews completed, 1,006 interviews were conducted by phone and 1,000 interviews were conducted online.

The data presented in this study are reflective of U.S. Census Bureau demographic statistics in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, income, education, and region.

Sample Size Margin of Error

General Population (All), including: 2,006 ±2.19%

Male 963 ±3.16%

Female 1,043 ±3.03%

Age 18-29 441 ±4.67%

Age 30-44 542 ±4.21%

Age 45-64 682 ±3.75%

Age 65+ 341 ±5.31%

Democrats 622 ±3.93%

Republicans 542 ±4.21%

Independents 782 ±3.50%

Northeast 361 ±5.16%

Midwest 441 ±4.67%

South 722 ±3.65%

West 481 ±4.47%

69% say ensuring access to healthcare is the responsibility of the government

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Series1

29% 31% 31%51% 53% 59%

71% 69% 68%47% 46% 40%

No Yes

Access to healthcare coverage

Do you think it is the responsibility of the government to make sure that all Americans have...?

A home to live in

Enough food

A college education

A high school education

A job

Showing All

Responsibility of the government by sub-group

Younger Americans demonstrate far stronger support for government involvement in healthcare

Do you think it is the responsibility of the government to make sure that all Americans have...?Showing % Yes

All

Gender Age Political Affiliation Region

M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W

Enough food 71 65 75 82 69 69 60 86 47 74 81 69 64 74

Access to healthcare coverage 69 67 70 81 70 66 55 90 42 69 75 69 61 74

A high school education 68 65 71 76 68 65 66 83 51 69 77 62 62 77

A home to live in 47 45 50 62 42 48 37 64 27 48 57 45 43 48

A job 46 42 51 61 40 42 45 60 30 47 46 49 42 51

A college education 40 37 42 57 36 36 34 53 24 40 35 41 40 44

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54% 44%

54% say the government should exert more influence over healthcare system

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The government should exert more

influence over America’s healthcare

system, in an attempt to lower

costs and provide healthcare

coverage for all Americans

The government should reduce the

amount of influence it has over America’s

healthcare system, because

a more free-market system will bring costs

down

Which of the following is closer to your view?

AllGender Age Political Affiliation Region

M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W

More influence 54 51 55 58 56 54 42 76 26 55 58 54 50 55

Less influence 44 46 42 42 42 45 51 22 72 42 41 42 49 43

Don’t know 2 2 2 0 2 2 8 2 3 3 1 5 1 2

Showing All

77% 20%

3 in 4 say those with pre-existing conditions should not be denied coverage

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Health insurance should be required to

provide care for people who have

pre-existing conditions, even if the government has to pay for it

Pre-existing conditions can be very expensive,

and health insurers or the

government should not be

required to pay for them

Which of the following is closer to your view?

AllGender Age Political Affiliation Region

M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W

Health insurance should be required…

77 74 79 79 81 77 66 88 62 78 81 80 73 76

Pre-existing conditions can be very expensive…

20 23 18 20 17 20 26 11 34 18 17 16 24 21

Don’t know 3 3 3 1 2 3 8 1 4 4 2 4 3 3

Showing All

59% 40% 2%

Yes No Don't Know

59% say contraception should be covered under employer health plans

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AllGender Age Political Affiliation Region

M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W

Yes 59 49 68 70 63 56 39 76 39 59 62 55 56 62

No 40 49 31 28 36 43 55 22 61 38 36 42 42 36

Don’t know 2 3 1 2 1 0 6 2 0 2 1 2 2 2

Should employer-provided health insurance plans be required to cover contraception?

Showing All

58%

67%

30%

30%

12%

3%

Support Oppose Don't Know

A majority support stem-cell research

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AllGender Age Political Affiliation Region

M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W

Support 67 66 68 75 70 68 55 73 56 69 75 71 60 69

Oppose 30 30 30 24 27 30 39 25 41 27 23 25 36 30

Don't know 3 4 2 2 3 2 7 2 3 4 3 4 4 1

Some people support stem-cell research, saying it's an important way to find treatments for many diseases. Other people oppose stem cell research, saying it's wrong to use any human embryos for research purposes. What about you? Do you

support or oppose stem cell research?

2012

2001; ABC News/Washington PostShowing All

Most say it is morally acceptable to take a patient off life support at their request

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If someone is on life support, for which of these reasons would it be morally acceptable to take them off life support, allowing them to pass away? Please select

all that apply.

Another reason

It is never morally acceptable to take someone off life support

The family of the person on life support cannot afford the medical bills

The family of the person on life support is enduring great emotional pain

The person on life support is suffering

The person on life support requested they not be kept alive in these situations

7%

8%

20%

30%

63%

78%

AllGender Age Political Affiliation

M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I

The person on life support requested they not be kept alive in these situations

78 77 79 71 76 83 81 74 80 80

The person on life support is suffering 63 58 67 62 66 63 59 67 58 64

The family of the person on life support is enduring great emotional pain

30 29 30 26 31 30 31 33 29 27

The family of the person on life support cannot afford the medical bills

20 20 20 26 18 20 15 23 21 18

It is never morally acceptable to take someone off life support

8 9 7 9 12 4 6 5 8 9

Another reason 7 7 8 3 5 11 10 8 7 7

Don't know 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1

Showing All

57% 33%

Over half say financial cost is not sufficient reason to take a patient off life support

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Someone on life support should be

required to be kept alive,

regardless of the financial cost

It’s acceptable to take someone off of life support if

the financial cost of keeping them alive is too great

AllGender Age Political Affiliation Region

M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W

Someone on life support should be required to be kept alive, regardless of the financial cost

57 55 59 63 64 55 43 57 55 59 60 56 59 54

It’s acceptable to take someone off of life support if the financial cost of keeping them alive is too great

33 36 31 36 29 35 34 35 38 30 32 34 32 37

Don't know 9 9 10 1 7 10 23 8 7 11 8 10 9 9

Which of the following is closer to your view?

Showing All

59% say someone on life support should be required to be kept alive if a private insurer is paying

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AllGender Age Political Affiliation Region

M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W

Yes 59 62 56 72 63 55 43 61 48 65 57 56 59 63

No 37 36 39 28 33 41 50 37 48 31 40 40 38 32

Don't know 4 3 5 0 5 4 7 2 4 4 3 4 3 4

59%37%

4%YesNoDon't know

If a private insurer is paying the medical bills, should someone on life support be required to be kept alive?

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56% think someone on life support should be required to be kept alive if the government is paying

AllGender Age Political Affiliation Region

M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W

Yes 56 60 53 70 62 50 40 57 51 60 52 49 58 64

No 39 37 40 28 35 44 49 38 45 36 44 43 38 32

Don't know 5 2 7 2 3 5 11 5 5 4 4 7 4 4

56%39%

5%YesNoDon't know

If the government (for example through Medicare) is paying the medical bills, should someone on life support be required to be kept alive?