Institute for Sound Public Policy
National Poll
Conducted By Pulse Opinion Research
September 3, 2009
1 – Do you currently have healthcare coverage of any kind, including Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare?
77% Yes
21% No
2% Not sure
2 – Generally speaking, do you approve or disapprove of the way that President Obama is handling the issue of healthcare reform?
67% Approve
24% Disapprove
9% Not sure
3 – What percentage of people in the United States, do you estimate, have no healthcare coverage?
10% Roughly 5%
29% Roughly 18%
31% Roughly 35%
20% Roughly 47%
9% Not sure
4 – Of those people without healthcare coverage, what percentage do you estimate to be illegal immigrants?
44% Less than 5%
29% Roughly 25%
9% Roughly 33%
9% Roughly 50%
9% Not sure
5 – Would providing health insurance coverage to undocumented immigrants increase the costs of healthcare, decrease the costs of healthcare or have no effect on costs?
48% Increase the costs of healthcare
18% Decrease the costs of healthcare
28% Have no effect on the costs of healthcare
6% Not sure
6 – Without a change in immigration policy, the nation’s population will grow by more than a third in the next 50 years. If the population where you live were to increase by this amount, would it make the quality and availability of healthcare services a lot worse, somewhat worse, no different, somewhat better, or a lot better?
28% A lot worse
22% Somewhat worse
38% No different
5% Somewhat better
2% A lot better
5% Not sure
7 – How likely is it that the proposed healthcare reform plans will provide insurance coverage to illegal immigrants?
20% Very likely
26% Somewhat likely
32% Not very likely
15% Not at all likely
7% Not sure
8 – Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose proposals providing healthcare for illegal immigrants currently in the country?
17% Strongly support
27% Somewhat support
20% Somewhat oppose
33% Strongly oppose
3% Not sure
9 – Would legalizing the estimated 12-20 million illegal immigrants in the United States, increase future levels of illegal immigration, decrease future levels of illegal immigration or have no impact on future levels of illegal immigration?
41% Increase future levels of illegal immigration
15% Decrease future levels of illegal immigration
35% Have no impact on future levels of illegal immigration
9% Not sure
10 – Will President Obama’s healthcare plan result in the quality of your healthcare being a lot better, somewhat better, no different, somewhat worse or a lot worse?
28% A lot better
21% Somewhat better
34% No different
5% Somewhat worse
11% A lot worse
2% Not sure
11 – Do you favor or oppose creating a public healthcare plan administered by the federal government that would compete directly with private health insurance companies?
75% Favor
17% Oppose
8% Not sure
NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.