Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: August 2013
This Kaiser Health Tracking Poll was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at the Foundation led by Mollyann Brodie, Ph.D., including Liz Hamel, Claudia Deane, and Sarah Cho. The survey was conducted August 13-19, 2013, among a nationally representative random digit dial telephone sample of 1,503 adults ages 18 and older, living in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii (note: persons without a telephone could not be included in the random selection process). Computer-assisted telephone interviews conducted by landline (751) and cell phone (752, including 385 who had no landline telephone) were carried out in English and Spanish by Princeton Data Source under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI). Both the random digit dial landline and cell phone samples were provided by Survey Sampling International, LLC. For the landline sample, respondents were selected by asking for the youngest adult male or female currently at home based on a random rotation. If no one of that gender was available, interviewers asked to speak with the youngest adult of the opposite gender. For the cell phone sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone. The Kaiser Family Foundation paid for all costs associated with the survey.
The combined landline and cell phone sample was weighted to balance the sample demographics to match estimates for the national population using data from the Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey (ACS) on sex, age, education, race, Hispanic origin, nativity (for Hispanics only), and region along with data from the 2010 Census on population density. The sample was also weighted to match current patterns of telephone use using data from the July-December 2012 National Health Interview Survey. The weight takes into account the fact that respondents with both a landline and cell phone have a higher probability of selection in the combined sample and also adjusts for the household size for the landline sample. All statistical tests of significance account for the effect of weighting. Weighted and unweighted values for key demographic variables are shown in the table below.
| Sample Demographics | ||
| Unweighted | Weighted | |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 48.7% | 48.5% |
| Female | 51.3% | 51.5% |
| Age | ||
| 18-24 | 8.3% | 13.5% |
| 25-34 | 13.8% | 17.6% |
| 35-44 | 11.4% | 16.1% |
| 45-54 | 16.4% | 18.6% |
| 55-64 | 22.8% | 16.6% |
| 65+ | 27.3% | 17.6% |
| Education | ||
| HS Graduate or Less | 29.7% | 41.4% |
| Some College/Assoc. Degree | 28.6% | 30.7% |
| College Grad. | 41.7% | 27.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||
| White, not Hispanic | 75.0% | 67.8% |
| Black, not Hispanic | 10.4% | 11.4% |
| Hisp – US born | 4.9% | 6.9% |
| Hisp – born outside | 4.4% | 6.9% |
| Other, not Hispanic | 5.3% | 7.0% |
| Party Identification | ||
| Democrat | 32.7% | 33.3% |
| Independent | 29.8% | 29.7% |
| Republican | 23.4% | 21.3% |
| Other | 9.4% | 9.8% |
The margin of sampling error including the design effect for the full sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points. For results based on subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher. Sample sizes and margin of sampling errors for other subgroups are available by request. Note that sampling error is only one of many potential sources of error in this or any other public opinion poll.
Methodology for Omnibus Supplement
One additional question was asked on the Princeton Data Source omnibus survey. Different research clients purchase space on the omnibus survey and therefore additional questions covering a wide variety of topics may have preceded or followed the question shown on this topline. The Kaiser Health Tracking Poll Omnibus Supplement was conducted August 15-18, 2013, among a nationally representative random digit dial telephone sample of 1,000 adults ages 18 and older, living in the continental United States (note: persons without a telephone could not be included in the random selection process). Computer-assisted telephone interviews conducted by landline (500) and cell phone (500, including 265 who had no landline telephone) were carried out in English by Princeton Data Source under the direction of PSRAI.
The combined landline and cell phone sample was weighted to balance the sample demographics to match estimates for the national population using data from the Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey (ACS) on sex, age, education, race, Hispanic origin, and region along with data from the 2010 Census on population density. The sample was also weighted to match current patterns of telephone use using data from the July-December 2012 National Health Interview Survey.
The margin of sampling error including the design effect for the full sample on the omnibus supplement is plus or minus 4 percentage points. For results based on subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher. Sample sizes and margin of sampling errors for other subgroups are available by request. Note that sampling error is only one of many potential sources of error in this or any other public opinion poll.
Full methodological details, including weighted and unweighted values for key demographic variables and response rates are available upon request.