Support for Universal Healthcare Dropping Among all American Adults According to LightSource Poll

HONEOYE FALLS, N.Y., Aug. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When asked how much additional money they are willing to pay each year to achieve truly universal healthcare coverage for all United States citizens, Americans are becoming less willing to provide their own personal funds. According to LightSource Poll, conducted by KJT Group, the average amount that an adult is willing to spend has decreased dramatically over the past year.

The average adult was willing to spend $201 additionally per year as of February 2010. This dropped to $123 per year as of July/August. These figures are broken down in greater detail in Table 1.

Only 32% of all adults are willing to pay any additional amount of money on a yearly basis as of July/August 2010.

For each wave, there were no statistical differences between Democrats, Republicans and Independents in the average amount they are willing to spend on a yearly basis. Democrats and Independents are more likely than Republicans to contribute any amount toward achieving universal healthcare coverage.

Democrats are far more likely than Republicans or Independents to agree with the statement that "Health care is a right, and should be provided to all citizens regardless of ability to pay or their behavior." These results are shown in Table 2.

While Democrats and Independents have remained relatively consistent with their agreement over the past year, Republicans have grown more antagonistic with this notion. 33% of Republicans completely disagree with the above statement.

This wave of the LightSource poll was conducted among 1,000 U.S. adults (18 years or older) between July 29 and August 6, 2010.  This was a non-probability, stratified sample, collected via web-based interviews. As such, margin of error cannot be accurately estimated. In addition to the results shown here, an oversample of 600 New York State residents was collected and is published separately. For more information such as a detailed methodology, or additional results from this wave of the LightSource, go to www.lightsourcepoll.com.

About LightSource: The LightSource poll is a nationally representative, online public-opinion poll conducted quarterly.  The LightSource focuses on three primary topics: the economy, the health care system, and care giving trends.  The LightSource employs stratified sampling, focusing on key factors such as age, gender, household income, and U.S. geographic region to help ensure national representation.

About KJT Group: KJT Group (www.kjtgroup.com) is an innovative consulting and research company that provides data and insights into the evolving health care marketplace.  KJT Group is a member of the National Council on Public Polls (NCPP), Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO), Academy Health, and the International Society for Pharmoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR).

About Survey Sampling International: Survey Sampling International (SSI) is the premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. SSI provides Internet, telephone and mobile/wireless sampling in 72 countries. Additional services include questionnaire design consultation, programming and hosting, and data processing. SSI serves more than 2,000 clients, including 48 of the top 50 research organizations. Founded in 1977, SSI has 17 offices in 15 countries.

SOURCE KJT Group