Public awareness of the new health insurance exchanges has risen substantially in the weeks since they opened, but only a small percentage of consumers have visited the sites. Most of those already have insurance and are simply trying to learn more about the program, according to a survey released on Monday by the Pew Research Center.

The survey found that only about 3 in 10 people thought the exchanges were working well. That appears to reflect widespread reports that many of the 34 states with exchanges run by the federal government have encountered technical problems, while state-run insurance exchanges appear to be functioning more smoothly. …

Nationwide, 14 percent of adults reported having visited an exchange, and another 23 percent said they intended to. These figures were higher among the 18 percent who said they currently did not have health insurance: 22 percent of uninsured Americans have already visited a site, and an additional 42 percent said they intended to do so.