Health care, the transition, the economy, Hunter Biden, and crypto: December 8-10, 2024 Economist/YouGov Poll

• Although two-thirds of Americans are satisfied with their own health insurance, a majority (54%) have a very or somewhat unfavorable opinion of the American health care system overall, including 58% of Democrats and 49% of Republicans
  • Only 36% of Americans have a favorable view of the American health care system
• Views on the health care system have grown more negative in recent years: In 2022, fewer viewed it unfavorably than favorably (40% vs. 48%)
• About one-quarter (23%) of Americans think the health care system should be completely rebuilt, while another 45% see the need for fundamental change; 22% say the system works pretty well and requires only minor changes
• Two-thirds (66%) place a lot of blame for problems with the health care system on pharmaceutical companies, while 62% blame health insurance companies and the same share blame corporate executives
  • Fewer than one in five blame doctors a lot and a similar share blame Medicare (16% and 19%)
  • 39% place a lot of blame on Republican politicians and 35% place a lot of blame on Democratic politicians
  • 29% put a lot of blame on the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, including 9% of Democrats and 52% of Republicans

The presidential transition

• Americans are more likely to approve than disapprove of how both Donald Trump (51% strongly or somewhat approve vs. 33% who disapprove) and Joe Biden (48% vs. 33%) are handling the presidential transition
• Republicans are about twice as likely to approve of Biden’s handling of the transition as Democrats are to approve of Trump’s handling of the transition (30% vs. 13%)
• There is close division among Americans when it comes to Trump's appointments to his Cabinet: 45% approve and 40% disapprove
  • In December 2020, views of Biden's appointments were similar: 42% approved and 36% disapproved
• Marco Rubio’s nomination for Secretary of State fares best among Trump nominees in the poll: 45% of Americans approve of his nomination while 31% disapprove
• After a brief declaration of martial law in South Korea, one-third (33%) of Americans — including 55% of Democrats and 18% of Republicans — say it is very or somewhat likely that Trump would impose martial law in the U.S.

The economy

• Many Republicans' perspectives on their family’s economic future have changed since Trump’s election victory: Just before the election, 27% of Republicans said they believed their family’s finances would be better in a year; now 60% do
• Democrats, on the other hand, have grown more downbeat about the economy: 23% say their family’s finances will be better in a year, down from 42% just before the election

• Americans are as likely to say gas prices will be higher than lower six months from now — more positive sentiments than just before the election
• Here, too, Democrats' economic outlook has become more negative: Majorities now say both gas prices and inflation will be higher in six months, in each case more than double the shares saying so just before the election

Hunter Biden

• Americans don’t like President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter: 48% believe it was the wrong thing to do while only 28% say it was the right thing — including 58% of Democrats and 7% of Republicans
• 36% approve of Biden’s job handling, matching the lowest level in his presidency
• In 1976, two years after President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon, 55% of Americans said the pardon was wrong, while 35% said it was the right thing, according to an ABC News poll
  • By 2002, opinions had changed: 59% of Americans called the pardon the right thing to do, while 32% called it the wrong thing, according to an ABC News poll

Cryptocurrency

• About one-quarter of Americans say they have owned cryptocurrency — including 13% who say they own crypto now
• 76% who now own crypto say they understand cryptocurrency very or somewhat well
• Overall, two-thirds (67%) of Americans understand it not very well or not well at all
• 42% of Americans support more cryptocurrency regulation and only 10% support less — the rest either want to maintain the current level of regulation or are unsure

Throughout this report, some numbers may appear to be off by 1 because of rounding

— Carl Bialik and Taylor Orth contributed to this article