A new Gallup poll released Monday shows that a slim majority of Americans are leaning against Congress passing healthcare reform legislation.
According to the poll, which surveyed 1,017 adults November 20 - 22, 49% of Americans said they would advise their Congressman to vote against a healthcare reform bill, while 44% said they would advise their Congressman to vote for such a bill.
The poll further found that 42% of those surveyed would advise against voting for a healthcare reform bill this year, while 35% would advise voting for reform this year.
Support for healthcare reform remained strongest among Democrats, with 76% saying they would advise voting for reform. Among Republicans, support remained extremely low, with only 12% saying they would advise voting for reform. Support was also low among independents, as only 37% said they would advise voting for reform.
President Barack Obama's handling of the healthcare reform issue may be a factor in the declining support for it, the poll found. According to the poll, 53% of Americans disapprove of Obama's handling of the issue, while 40% support him.
Obama still has strong support among Democrats, though, with 74% stating they approve of his handling of the issue. Republicans, on the other hand, are almost unanimously against him, with 89% stating they disapprove of Obama's handling of the issue. Among independents, 58% said they disapprove of how Obama has handled healthcare reform.
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