New Pew poll on Obamacare: big partisan and racial/ethnic divides in support/opposition

[pampango]

Tea party republicans oppose Obamacare by a 94%-5% margin. (Those 5% must have to keep really quiet at their meetings. ) 64% of them want officials to actively work to make the health care law fail.

Democrats support the law by 73% to 23%.



republicans think the ACA has been bad for the country by 59% to 8% and think it will be bad for the country by 75%-9%.

Democrats believe it has been good for the country by a 41% to 20% margin and that it will be good for the country by 63%-18%.

Wide racial and ethnic gaps over health care proposals also have long persisted. However, blacks are much more supportive of the law today (91% approve) than when it was being debated in 2009 (50%).

Whites have consistently opposed the Affordable Care Act. In September 2010, 33% approved of the law and 56% disapproved. Today, just 29% approve and more than twice as many disapprove (67%).

Support for the health care law was also higher for younger people and those making under $30,000 than it was for older people and those with higher incomes.

http://www.people-press.org/2013/09/16/as-health-care-law-proceeds-opposition-and-uncertainty-persist/

I did not know the extent of variation in support for the ACA based on race. I had assumed that younger people (being healthier and less prone to want health insurance) would have been more negative than they are.

Of course, the partisan differences in support were not surprising.

[Warren Stupidity]

1. The Republican Party is continuing to dig its own grave on this issue.

They went all in on repeal and FUD scare tactics, and when their loyal base starts discovering the stunning disconnect between the bullshit and reality, as the ACA kicks in full force, there is going to be hell to pay.

[Mass]

2. African Americans are more often Democrats than caucasian people, so, the two measures are linked

together.

Also, young people for the most part are among the few who have already seen the advantages of Obamacare: they can now be on their parents policy until 26.

What would be a more interesting measure is to correlate support for ACA to understanding of the law. A lot of people are simply misinformed (see people above 65 who are not concerned by the law but disapprove??? Many of them may not see that their family may be helped by the law, for example).

[pampango]

3. Certainly true. I was surprised that their support went from 50% in 2009 to 91% this year. n/t