From The Atlantic/Aspen Institute American Values Survey, a closer look at American attitudes towards healthcare.

1. American Attitudes Towards
Healthcare
1

2. Survey Objectives
The study of What Americans Believe, conducted by Penn
Schoen Berland for The Aspen Ideas Festival in partnership
with The Atlantic and the Aspen Institute, provides a detailed
assessment of what Americans say their values are. This
survey of 2,000 Americans identifies the issues that divide us
and the ties that unite us as a nation.
These findings are specific to American views on
healthcare.
2

3. Survey Methodology
 From May 25, 2012 to June 6, 2012, Penn Schoen Berland conducted 2,006 interviews
with the adult general population of the United States. Of the 2,006 interviews
completed, 1,006 interviews were conducted by phone and 1,000 interviews were
conducted online.
Sample Size Margin of Error
General Population (All), including: 2,006 2.19%
Male 963 3.16%
Female 1,043 3.03%
Age 18-29 441 4.67%
Age 30-44 542 4.21%
Age 45-64 682 3.75%
Age 65+ 341 5.31%
Democrats 622 3.93%
Republicans 542 4.21%
Independents 782 3.50%
Northeast 361 5.16%
Midwest 441 4.67%
South 722 3.65%
West 481 4.47%
 The data presented in this study are reflective of U.S. Census Bureau demographic
statistics in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, income, education, and region.
3

4. 69% say ensuring access to healthcare is the
responsibility of the government
Do you think it is the responsibility of the government to make sure that
all Americans have...?
No Yes
71% 69% 68%
47% 46% 40%
29% 31% 31%
51% 53% 59%
Enough food Access to A high school
healthcare education
coverage
A home to live in A job
A college
Showing All education
4

5. Responsibility of the government by sub-
group
Younger Americans demonstrate far stronger support for government
involvement in healthcare
Do you think it is the
responsibility of the government Gender Age Political Affiliation Region
to make sure that all Americans
have...? All
Showing % Yes M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W
Enough food 71 65 75 82 69 69 60 86 47 74 81 69 64 74
Access to healthcare coverage 69 67 70 81 70 66 55 90 42 69 75 69 61 74
A high school education 68 65 71 76 68 65 66 83 51 69 77 62 62 77
A home to live in 47 45 50 62 42 48 37 64 27 48 57 45 43 48
A job 46 42 51 61 40 42 45 60 30 47 46 49 42 51
A college education 40 37 42 57 36 36 34 53 24 40 35 41 40 44
5

6. 54% say the government should exert more
influence over healthcare system
Which of the following is closer to your view?
The government The government
should exert more should reduce the
influence over amount of
America’s influence it has
healthcare over America’s
system, in an 54% 44% healthcare
attempt to lower system, because
costs and provide a more free-
healthcare market system
coverage for all Showing All will bring costs
Americans down
Gender Age Political Affiliation Region
All
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W
More influence 54 51 55 58 56 54 42 76 26 55 58 54 50 55
Less influence 44 46 42 42 42 45 51 22 72 42 41 42 49 43
Don’t know 2 2 2 0 2 2 8 2 3 3 1 5 1 2
6

7. 3 in 4 say those with pre-existing conditions
should not be denied coverage
Which of the following is closer to your view?
Health insurance Pre-existing
should be conditions can be
required to very expensive,
provide care for and health
people who have 77% 20% insurers or the
pre-existing government
conditions, even if should not be
the government required to pay
has to pay for it Showing All for them
Gender Age Political Affiliation Region
All
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W
Health insurance should
77 74 79 79 81 77 66 88 62 78 81 80 73 76
be required…
Pre-existing conditions
20 23 18 20 17 20 26 11 34 18 17 16 24 21
can be very expensive…
Don’t know 3 3 3 1 2 3 8 1 4 4 2 4 3 3
7

8. 59% say contraception should be covered under
employer health plans
Should employer-provided health insurance plans be required to cover
contraception?
Yes No Don't Know
59% 40% 2%
Showing All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Region
All
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W
Yes 59 49 68 70 63 56 39 76 39 59 62 55 56 62
No 40 49 31 28 36 43 55 22 61 38 36 42 42 36
Don’t know 2 3 1 2 1 0 6 2 0 2 1 2 2 2
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9. A majority support stem-cell research
Some people support stem-cell research, saying it's an important way to find
treatments for many diseases. Other people oppose stem cell research, saying it's
wrong to use any human embryos for research purposes. What about you? Do you
support or oppose stem cell research?
Support Oppose Don't Know
67% 30% 3%
2012
58% 30% 12%
2001; ABC News/Washington Post
Showing All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Region
All
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W
Support 67 66 68 75 70 68 55 73 56 69 75 71 60 69
Oppose 30 30 30 24 27 30 39 25 41 27 23 25 36 30
Don't know 3 4 2 2 3 2 7 2 3 4 3 4 4 1
9

10. Most say it is morally acceptable to take a
patient off life support at their request
If someone is on life support, for which of these reasons would it be morally
acceptable to take them off life support, allowing them to pass away? Please select
all that apply.
The person on life support requested they not be kept alive in
these situations 78%
The person on life support is suffering 63%
The family of the person on life support is enduring great
emotional pain 30%
The family of the person on life support cannot afford the medical
bills 20%
It is never morally acceptable to take someone off life support 8% Showing All
Another reason 7%
Gender Age Political Affiliation
All
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I
The person on life support requested they not be kept alive
78 77 79 71 76 83 81 74 80 80
in these situations
The person on life support is suffering 63 58 67 62 66 63 59 67 58 64
The family of the person on life support is enduring great
30 29 30 26 31 30 31 33 29 27
emotional pain
The family of the person on life support cannot afford the
20 20 20 26 18 20 15 23 21 18
medical bills
It is never morally acceptable to take someone off life
8 9 7 9 12 4 6 5 8 9
support
Another reason 7 7 8 3 5 11 10 8 7 7
Don't know 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1
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11. Over half say financial cost is not sufficient
reason to take a patient off life support
Which of the following is closer to your view?
Someone on life It’s acceptable to
support should be take someone off
required to be of life support if
kept 57% 33% the financial cost
alive, regardless of keeping them
of the financial alive is too great
cost Showing All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Region
All
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W
Someone on life support
should be required to be kept
57 55 59 63 64 55 43 57 55 59 60 56 59 54
alive, regardless of the
financial cost
It’s acceptable to take
someone off of life support if
33 36 31 36 29 35 34 35 38 30 32 34 32 37
the financial cost of keeping
them alive is too great
Don't know 9 9 10 1 7 10 23 8 7 11 8 10 9 9
11

12. 59% say someone on life support should be required
to be kept alive if a private insurer is paying
If a private insurer is paying the medical bills, should someone on life support be
required to be kept alive?
4%
Yes
37%
No
59%
Don't know
Gender Age Political Affiliation Region
All
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W
Yes 59 62 56 72 63 55 43 61 48 65 57 56 59 63
No 37 36 39 28 33 41 50 37 48 31 40 40 38 32
Don't know 4 3 5 0 5 4 7 2 4 4 3 4 3 4
12

13. 56% think someone on life support should be required
to be kept alive if the government is paying
If the government (for example through Medicare) is paying the medical bills, should
someone on life support be required to be kept alive?
5%
Yes
39% No
56%
Don't know
Gender Age Political Affiliation Region
All
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I NE MW S W
Yes 56 60 53 70 62 50 40 57 51 60 52 49 58 64
No 39 37 40 28 35 44 49 38 45 36 44 43 38 32
Don't know 5 2 7 2 3 5 11 5 5 4 4 7 4 4
13