Appendix: Significant Changes
Results of National Deliberative Poll® on Health Care and Education
In your opinion, is there too much emphasis on standardized testing in the public schools in your community, about the right amount, or not enough emphasis?
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Too much | 57.5% | 65.0% | .00 |
| Not enough | 13.5% | 9.3% | .01 |
| About right | 21.5% | 23.3% | -- |
Some people think that tests for student achievement should be set at the state level and applied in the same way to all students in the state. Others think that local school boards should make these decisions in each community. Which do you think?
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| State | 62.1% | 55.9% | .03 |
| Local | 31.1% | 37.9% | .02 |
Do you support or oppose the following proposals for reforming the school system in your community? (0=strongly oppose; 10=strongly support)
Fund more charter schools with money from the public school system.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Oppose | 45.6% | 50.4% | .03* |
| Neither oppose/support | 13.6% | 13.4% | -- |
| Support | 40.6% | 36.1% | -- |
Provide vouchers to cover some or all of the cost of private schools with money from the public school system.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Oppose | 56.3% | 61.1% | .02 |
| Neither oppose/support | 9.0% | 6.1% | -- |
| Support | 34.6% | 32.7% | -- |
Provide more money for the most troubled public schools even if it means raising taxes.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Strongly oppose | 22.7% | 16.9% | .01 |
Provide more money for public schools to reduce class sizes even if it means raising taxes.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Oppose | 32.4% | 22.6% | .00 |
| Neither oppose/support | 9.3% | 14.4% | -- |
| Support | 58.3% | 63.0% | -- |
Provide more money for public schools to pay teachers even if it means raising taxes.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Oppose | 28.5% | 24.6% | -- |
| Neither oppose/support | 12.5% | 9.7% | -- |
| Support | 59.1% | 65.8% | .00 |
Which of these do you think is most important?
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Top three answers: |
|
| Teacher quality | 33.8% | 17.9% | .00 |
| Academic standards | 32.6% | 28.1% | -- |
| Parental involvement | 13.8% | 24.9% | .00 |
| Other: |
|
| Class size | 3.4% | 11.6% | .00 |
| Funding | 7.3% | 9.5% | -- |
Percentage of respondents who named the following as most, or second most, important.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Teacher quality | 62.2% | 47.7% | .00* (n=354) |
| Academic standards | 47.4% | 47.7% | -- |
| Parental involvement | 26.9% | 44.9% | .00 (n=353) |
To what degree do you think your elected representatives in Washington share your priorities for how to improve education? If you think their priorities are completely the same as yours answer 10. If you think their priorities are completely different from yours, answer 0. If it is about half and half answer 5.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Different | 68.7% | 56.7% | .00* |
| Half and half | 18.3% | 22.0% | -- |
| Same | 13.0% | 21.3% | .00 |
From what you have heard about the No Child Left Behind Act, do you approve or disapprove, or couldn't you say?
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Disapprove | 52.9% | 59.1% | .09 |
| Neither disapprove/approve | 7.8% | 9.8% | -- |
| Approve | 39.3% | 31.1% | .01 |
Here is a list of problems our health care system might face. On a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is completely unimportant and 10 is extremely important, and 5 is midway in between, how important would you say it is that we focus on improving each of the following?
The number of Americans without health insurance.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Unimportant | 8.8% | 7.1% | -- |
| Midway | 8.7% | 5.1% | -- |
| Important | 82.5% | 87.9% | .01 |
Medical errors or mistakes.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Unimportant | 9.7% | 16.7% | -- |
| Midway | 11.1% | 15.3% | -- |
| Important | 79.2% | 68.0% | .00* |
|
| Extremely important (10) | 45.5% | 30.1% | .00 |
The medical malpractice system.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Extremely important (10) | 39.9% | 29.8% | .00 |
Here is a list of problems our health care system might face. Which of these do you think is most important?
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| The cost of health insurance | 29.2% | 30.0% | -- |
| The number of Americans without health insurance | 45.0% | 49.2% | .10* |
Percentage of respondents who named the following as most, or second most, important.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| The cost of prescription drugs | 29.1% | 38.3% | .00 |
Would you be willing to pay more than you do now for health care if this meant that many more Americans would have health insurance coverage?
| Pre | Post |
|
| Yes, at least slightly more | 43.6% | 51.8% |
|
| Yes, significantly more | 8.2% | 10.2% |
|
| No | 38.8% | 31.1% |
|
| Couldn't say | 9.4% | 6.9% |
|
| (n=354) | (n=358) |
|
| Significance: X2 (9, N=356) =191.76, p=.00 |
How strongly would you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? The US should adopt a single-payer system, where a government entity accepts all healthcare fees and pays out all healthcare costs for everyone.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Agree | 51.2% | 57.7% | .00 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 8.6% | 5.5% | -- |
| Disagree | 40.3% | 36.8% | -- |
The US should require employer coverage of health care, where every employer must provide insurance for all workers.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Agree | 51.3% | 43.6% | .00* |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 9.8% | 8.7% | -- |
| Disagree | 38.8% | 47.8% | -- |
The US should require individual coverage, where individuals must buy minimal coverage, perhaps funded by a tax credit.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Agree | 37.3% | 43.2% | .03* |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 10.6% | 14.8% | -- |
| Disagree | 52.1% | 42.0% | -- |
|
| Disagree strongly | 36.9% | 24.9% | .00 |
The US should offer uninsured Americans income tax deductions, tax credits, or other financial assistance to help them purchase private health insurance on their own.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Agree | 56.6% | 66.1% | .00 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 11.9% | 9.6% | -- |
| Disagree | 31.5% | 24.3% | -- |
The US should increase funding for Medicare and Medicaid even if this means increasing taxes.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Agree | 57.8% | 58.8% | -- |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 10.5% | 15.3% | -- |
| Disagree | 31.7% | 25.9% | -- |
| (n=356) | (n=352) |
|
About how many Americans are uninsured?
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Correct (45 million) | 29.8% | 50.2% | .00 |
People like me don't have any say about what the government does.
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Agree | 51.6% | 37.7% | .00 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 5.7% | 11.2% | -- |
| Disagree | 42.7% | 51.1% | -- |
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: "people with views different from mine often have very good reasons for their opinions."
| Pre | Post | Sig. |
| Agree | 66.8% | 75.2% | .00 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 11.9% | 16.3% | -- |
| Disagree | 21.2% | 8.5% | .00 |
* These changes were significant for the treatment group for T1 to T2, but the T1 to T2 change in the treatment group was not significantly different (at the p<.10 level) from that in the control group.
