Wyoming residents don't like the health care law enacted in March of this year, according to a recent University of Wyoming poll.
Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed disapproved of the newly-enacted policy, while only 26 percent approved. It is no surprise that nearly all of those opposed to the new law also favor its immediate repeal.
Jim King, professor of political science at UW and the survey's director, says the poll indicates that support for the health care law is significantly lower in Wyoming than in the United States as a whole.
"A national poll conducted at about the same time showed Americans evenly divided on the new law," he said. "Clearly, Wyomingites are more skeptical of this policy change."
According to King, there is no relationship between a person's opinion on the health care law and the quality of care available in the community. Instead, general attitudes concerning the federal government seem to influence opinion on health care reform. Survey respondents who distrust the national government and who believe the national government wastes significant amounts of money are far more likely to oppose the new law than are respondents with positive views of the national government.
Sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the random telephone survey was conducted in mid-October. The university's Survey Research Center polled 700 Wyoming residents in the survey that has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.
