Americans overwhelmingly believe the so-called "individual mandate" included in the U.S. healthcare reform law is unconstitutional. They said so by a margin of 72% to 20% in a Gallup poll conducted Feb. 20-21, 2012. Americans on average are not lawyers, of course, but their views give an indication of the public's general view on the case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court this week.
Gallup published these findings in late February, in a broader story about Americans' views on repealing the law passed in 2010. Americans are much more divided on that topic, with 47% at that time saying they favored repealing the law and 44% saying they opposed repealing it.
It will be interesting to see if and how those views shift as a result of what happens in the U.S. Supreme Court case.
Gallup has been tracking Americans' views on the law from every angle, as well as its impact, including the percentage of Americans who have health insurance coverage.
Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport will be publishing a new "Polling Matters" blog this week with an analysis of the polling around the issue.
Gallup's Elizabeth Mendes will also be publishing new findings on Wednesday examining uninsured rates across U.S. metro areas.
For previous Gallup findings regarding the healthcare law, check out our healthcare tag page and this list of "need-to-know" healthcare facts.
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