DO HEALTH REFORM POLLS CLARIFY OR CONFUSE THE PUBLIC

No wonder Americans are confused about which health reform proposal wo uld best solve the country's needs. Many opinion polls conducted this year by the major news networks have focused on the public's approval of specific elements in the Clinton health plan, while ignoring its pe rception of the problem and alternative solutions. For polls to offer useful information to policymakers, pollsters must determine what the public wants, what it knows, and what paths it favors to reach those g oals.