Poll: Young least familiar with ObamaCare

Young adults remain the demographic least familiar with ObamaCare, according to a poll released Monday. 

A Gallup poll found 37 percent of people aged 18 to 29 are not familiar with the healthcare law, nearly 10 points higher than the national average. 

The number is largely unchanged since August. 

{mosads}While the vast majority of people, 72 percent, say they are familiar with the healthcare law, another 28 percent of people say they are not familiar with it. 

Young, healthy consumers will be a core part of the newly created healthcare exchanges. A strong pool of this demographic is necessary to balance premium costs for older consumers entering the program. 

The Health and Human Services Department has not yet released demographic statistics on those already enrolled in the program. 

December’s enrollment figures are likely to contain those statistics. 

Unfamiliarity with the law peaks with young adults, with 26 percent of people aged 30 to 49 saying they are unfamiliar with it. Twenty-two percent of people aged 50 to 64 say they are not familiar with it, and 25 percent of people older than 65 say the same. 

Wealthy adults making more than $90,000 a year are the least likely, at 10 percent, to say they are not familiar with the law. Twenty-nine percent of people making less than that say they are not familiar with it. 

Notably, Democrats are the most likely to say they are not familiar with President Obama’s signature achievement, with 34 percent. Only 12 percent of Republicans on the other hand are not familiar with it. 

“This could reflect the desire among those who are most emotionally opposed to the law to know more about it, or underlying differences in attention to news across party groups,” Gallup said in an analysis accompanying the poll. 

Familiarity with the law is up 4 percent since last month, however the vast majority of people say they are “somewhat” rather than “very” familiar with it. 

People who say they are more familiar with the law are also more likely to disapprove of it. However, Gallup noted that those numbers are not necessarily connected. They more likely reflect the high percentage of Republicans who are familiar, yet opposed to, the law. 

The poll surveyed 1,034 national adults last week and has a 4 percent margin of error.