This week, we again report the newest data on public opinion of the Affordable Care Act from the RAND Health Reform Opinion Study.
We saw a jump in unfavorable opinion compared to last week, while favorable opinion continued to be stable. Those saying “don't know” declined. While the change in unfavorable opinion since last week is notable, the overall rate continues to be in line with the rate of unfavorable opinion since mid-November, between 52 and 54 percent.
The large jump in overall unfavorable opinion is accompanied by even larger jumps in those stating that the reform will have a negative impact on themselves or their family and those stating that the reform will have a negative effect on the country as a whole.
Increases in negative opinion seem to be most prominent among those under 26, those over 65, males, and retired individuals.
Whether this shift towards more negative opinion will continue remains to be seen.
Check back each week for updated data. Once per month we will also provide more detailed analysis about the results.
Katherine Grace Carman is an economist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation.
