VOTERS SPEAK UP ABOUT BREAST CANCER
In a nationwide survey commissioned by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance, voters were asked questions about healthcare policy, breast cancer issues and presidential candidates’ platforms. Key findings include:
 The majority of voters (62%) believe breast cancer is the most critical health problem facing women today.
- Six in 10 voters, including 71% of Democrats and 46% of Republicans, are willing to raise taxes to support research for breast cancer cures and to ensure all women have access to high quality breast cancer screening and treatment.
- Voters recognize there are disparities in access to quality breast care. Seventy percent think income level impacts quality of care and half think ethnicity is also a factor.1
- Only one in 10 of all voters is aware of their preferred presidential candidate's position on issues relating to breast cancer.
- More than 90% of voters want the federal government to pay more attention and secure more resources for research, screening and treatment, including approximately seven in 10 who believe that it's extremely important.
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- For four in 10 voters, de-emphasizing funding for breast cancer could negatively impact support for a candidate in the upcoming presidential election.
- Half of voters feel candidates are spending too little time on healthcare, an issue that both men (#2 issue) and women (#1 issue) surveyed cite as a top priority. Only 11% think candidates are spending too much time on healthcare. Democrats (59%) and women (54%) most often select health care as one of their top issues.
- Of voters who are aware of their candidate's general healthcare platform, four in 10 are dissatisfied.
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Survey Methodology
| Random sample: |
Survey of 1,003 interviews with registered voters nationwide |
| Dates of interviews: |
December 18 – 31, 2007 |
| Gender: |
48% Male (N=481), 52% Female (N=522) |
| Margins of error: |
+/- 3.1% for all respondents |
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+/- 4.5% for males |
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+/- 4.3% for females |
The sample was drawn using a random-digit dial methodology, in which all households with land-line telephones, listed and unlisted, had an equal probability of being phoned. Respondents were limited to those reporting that they are registered to vote, and the data was weighted slightly to reflect the national distribution of registered voters, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
The full survey is available upon request from Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance.
About the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982 that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and since then the organization has been at the forefront of a global fight against breast cancer. Through the newly formed Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance, a tax-exempt, 501c4 nonpartisan organization, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is taking the next logical next step in its evolution: expanding its reach in the health policy arena. With the freedom to actively lobby for life-saving breast cancer public policy change, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance will directly engage policymakers and opinion leaders to advocate for increased funding for breast cancer research and greater access to screening and treatment.
About I Vote for the Cure (TM)
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance has launched I Vote for the Cure (TM) to educate voters and challenge the presidential candidates to make breast cancer a priority – in their platforms, and for our country. We are challenging candidates to address three achievable goals that will save lives and help end breast cancer forever: increasing investment in translational research, improving access to screening, and ensuring quality treatment for all women.
[1] Susan G. Komen for Cure's April 2007 "Breast Cancer Mortality Report" validates voters' assertions: low Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement rates for breast cancer screening and treatment prevents many women from accessing quality services, and lack of knowledge about screening and treatment options greatly increases death rates among Hispanics and African Americans.
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