While party identification highly predicts support, other factors also play a role, including race and ideology, though not to the same degree. Characteristics such as income and employment status, which one might think are important when it comes to support for legislation aiming to help the uninsured get insurance, are not significant predictors.

The larger data set did not contain information about individuals’ reported health insurance status or descriptions of their health, but a subset of the data consisting of 3,572 interviews conducted in 2014 did. When health insurance status or ratings of one’s own health were included, neither proved significant. Again, self-identified party affiliation was by far the most influential factor.

Likewise, party affiliation is the biggest determinant of one’s views toward the ACA when Americans are asked if the healthcare law will make their family’s healthcare situation worse. Republicans are about 16 times more likely than Democrats to say the healthcare law will negatively affect their family’s healthcare in the long run, with independents nearly five times more likely than Democrats to do this.