The most recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey finds a rebound of support for Obamacare among Democrats, but opinion unchanged overall. And that's it for us until 2014. This is HuffPollster for Friday, December 20, 2013.
OBAMACARE POPULARITY UNCHANGED THIS MONTH, BUT DEMOCRATS RALLY - Kaiser: "In December, about a third (34 percent) of the public has a favorable view of the ACA, while nearly half (48 percent) view the law unfavorably, shares that are largely unchanged from November. Support rallied this month among Democrats – 68 percent of them now express a favorable view of the law, up from 55 percent last month. This month’s poll did not find a similar rebound in support among independents who say they lean toward the Democratic Party. In previous polls, this group’s views have pretty closely mirrored those of Democrats, but while the share of Democrats with a favorable view of the ACA jumped 13 percentage points from November to December, the share of Democratic-leaning independents viewing the law favorably was flat." [Kaiser]
More perceptions of negative than positive consequences - More Kaiser: "In terms of views of what the law has accomplished so far, Americans are more likely to attribute negative rather than positive consequences to the ACA. Perhaps reflecting the recent focus on policy cancellations in the non-group market, six in ten believe the law has caused many people to lose their health coverage (61 percent), and a similar share believe it has increased the federal budget deficit (57 percent). These beliefs reflect deeper divisions on the law, as Republicans and those with an unfavorable view of the law are much more likely to attribute these consequences to the ACA than are Democrats and those with a favorable view." [ibid]
-Nick Gourevitch (D): "Kaiser poll: 34% say media coverage biased against ACA (17% say biased for). The left can feel bias too!.. (pg. 14)" [@nickgourevitch, Kaiser toplines]
MOST AMERICANS NOT SURE WHY WE'RE ASKING THEM IF SANTA IS WHITE - Emily Swanson: "Most Americans don't care about Santa's race, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll, but nearly half of the Republicans surveyed think Santa should be portrayed as white….Although Democrats (by a 68 percent to 20 percent margin) and independents (by a 61 percent to 31 percent margin) said that they don't think it matters what race Santa is, Republicans were slightly more likely to say that Santa should be portrayed as white than that it doesn't matter….Frequent viewers of Fox News were more likely to prefer a white Santa than those who watch less frequently. " [HuffPost]
HOW THE GRINCH POLLED CHRISTMAS:
-73 percent of adults say they believe Jesus was born of a virgin; 79 percent will put up a Christmas tree; 54 percent plan to attend Christmas religious services. [Pew Research]
-33 percent of Americans say commercialism is what they like least about the holidays. [Pew Research]
-54 percent Will Send Christmas Cards This Year. [Rasmussen Reports]
-60 percent of Americans are buying at least some of their gifts online this year. [Marist]
-73 percent say it's ok to "re-gift" [Fox News]
-Most New Hampshire residents are staying home for the holidays. [UNH]
-PPP (D) finds the tide turning in the War on Christmas. [PPP]
-Andrew Kaczynski gives the PPP poll the listicle treatment. [Buzzfeed]
HuffPollster will be taking a brief break for the holidays. We'll see you again on Monday, January 6. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
HUFFPOLLSTER VIA EMAIL! - You can receive this daily update every weekday via email! Just enter your email address in the box on the upper right corner of this page, and click "sign up." That's all there is to it (and you can unsubscribe anytime).
FRIDAY'S 'OUTLIERS' - Links to more news at the intersection of polling, politics and political data:
-Frank Newport ponders public discomfort with "big government." [Gallup]
-Jonathan Chait sees no Katrina "inflection point" for George W. Bush and no parallels to Obama. [NYMag]
-Sean Sullivan says Phil Robertson's views on homosexuality are in line with 45 percent of Americans. [WaPost]
-John Sides' model gives the Democrats a one percent chance of winning the House. [WaPost's Monkey Cage]
-Michael McDonald thinks redistricting cases might upend 2014 congressional predictions. [@ElectProject]
-Amy Walter explains why serious political observers should ignore 2016 horserace polls. [Cook Political]