AP Poll: Opposition to ACA steady, fears about care lessen

A new national poll taken by the Associated Press found that public opinion of the Affordable Care Act remains negative, but the number of people who fear that the law will hurt the quality of their own care has decreased (Source: “Health overhaul unpopular, but not as feared,” Associated Press via Columbus Dispatch, March 8, 2012).

According to the poll, 35 percent of Americans support the law and 47 percent oppose it. Those are about the same as when the law passed in March of 2010, when 39 percent supported it and 50 percent opposed it.

However, the percentage of Americans who say the quality of their care will worsen under the ACA has dropped over the past two years. Shortly after the law passed, 47 percent said they thought their care would not be as good under the ACA. Today, that number stands at 32 percent.

The Associated Press-GfK Poll was conducted Feb.16-20 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,000 adults nationwide and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.