U.S. Chamber Releases 10 District Polls Showing Voters Opposed to Current Health Care Proposal

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today released public opinion polls in 10 key congressional districts—all of which showed voters oppose current health care legislation being discussed in Congress, with substantial majorities saying it will raise the cost of their health care. Polling showed voters in the selected districts are more likely to support their representative if he or she opposes the bill – even in districts where that vote would represent a switch from their vote last fall. The polls were conducted March 8-11 by Ayres, McHenry & Associates to gauge support for health legislation currently being proposed.

"There should be absolutely no question in anyone's mind how Americans view this health care bill," said Bruce Josten, executive vice president of Government Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "This legislation is among the most unpopular proposals in recent memory and Members of Congress would be well advised to listen to their constituents' concerns."

Poll overview and summary:

On Monday through Thursday, March 8-11, Ayres, McHenry & Associates conducted statewide surveys on health care reform in AZ 8, CO 4, FL 2, NC 8, NV 3, NY 24, OH 1, PA 4, TX 17, and VA 2. Despite having elected Democratic representatives, all 10 districts oppose the "overall health care reform plan being discussed in Congress," with support typically in the low-to-mid 30s and opposition in the mid-to-upper 50s. Voters in these districts are more likely to support their representative if he or she opposes the bill – even in districts where that vote would represent a switch from their vote last fall. Independents oppose the current reforms by nearly two-to-one margins, mirroring their support for Republican gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia last year.

Following are key points from the surveys:

1. Voters are overwhelmingly opposed to the current overall health care reform proposal. In the 10 districts tested, public opposition significantly outweighs support for the health reform legislation currently before Congress, with support never reaching 40 percent:
 

Large majorities of independent voters in each of the districts tested oppose the health reform currently being discussed in Congress.

Independents' Views on Overall Health Care Reform Being Discussed in Congress 

2. Voters in each district would be more likely to support their representative if he or she votes against health care reform in the spring. Regardless of whether their representative in the House voted for or against the House bill last November, these voters prefer that their representative oppose the current plan. 

3. Given a choice between passing the current bill and starting over on a bipartisan bill, voters in each of the 10 districts prefer starting over by margins exceeding 20 points. These voters prefer starting over by margins ranging from 25 points in VA 2 to 40 points in FL 2 and NY 24. Those margins increase among independent voters.

Independents' Views on Starting Over on a Bipartisan Bill

4. Voters in each district say the country should focus first on lowering the costs of health care. As we have seen in numerous other polls, voters say cutting the costs of health care is their top priority, ahead of improving quality or covering more of the uninsured. 

5. Voters in all 10 districts overwhelmingly agree that the reforms being discussed will raise their health care costs. These wide margins of agreement that the current reforms being discussed in Congress will raise health care costs show that voters believe the reforms run counter to their top priority. Yet these margins are smaller than those agreeing that the reforms will raise the deficit, will raise voters' taxes, will expand government control of health care, and that new taxes and fees charged to health care companies will get passed on and mean higher costs.

Methodology

All respondents were selected randomly from a list of registered voters in each district, and indicated they are likely to vote in the elections for Congress this fall. Quotas were set by gender, age, and county consistent with registration. The field dates, number of respondents, and margin of error for responses with an even split – 50 percent for one response and 50 percent for another response – are:

The margin of error is smaller when one response receives a higher level of support. For example, the margin of error when 75 percent of respondents choose one response and 25 percent choose another response is plus or minus 4.24 percent for 400 respondents.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

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