Spring 2024 - Pennsylvania Public Health Survey

Muhlenberg College Public Health Program - 2024 Pennsylvania Health Survey

The following report examines opinions regarding public health issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2024. The report provides an overview of key findings from the 2024 Pennsylvania Health Survey. The survey was conducted in the Spring of 2024 by the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion (MCIPO) in conjunction with the Muhlenberg College Public Health Program.

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 PDF: Muhlenberg College Public Health Program - 2024 Pennsylvania Health Survey

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KEY FINDINGS

• Seven out of ten Pennsylvanians provide positive ratings to the quality of health care in the state, the highest marks since the question was first asked in 2019.
• Support for the legalization of marijuana in Pennsylvania remains unchanged from 2023, with about half (49%) of adults in the state supporting this option, and about three in ten (30%) opposing such a change.
• For the fourth year in a row there was an increase in the percentage of Commonwealth residents reporting their mental health was better than a year ago, with four in ten reporting a positive change, about one in ten indicating a negative change, and about half reporting no difference over the last year.
• Over half (54%) of Pennsylvanians indicate that opioid abuse is a major or minor problem in the community that they live in.

• Over four out of ten (43%) Keystone State residents report that politics and current events are a major source of stress in their lives, with this factor outpacing personal finances (22%), work (22%), and relationships with family and friends (9%) and a cause of stress.

• About one in five (22%) Commonwealth adults report always or often feeling anxious in the last twelve months.
• Over two out of three (67%) adult Pennsylvanians agree that E-cigarettes and vaping pose significant health risks.
• A majority of Pennsylvanians believe the state needs stronger restrictions on access to firearms with about six in ten (59%) agreeing that such restrictions are needed, and four in ten (41%) disagreeing with the need for such measures.

• Most (59%) Commonwealth residents disagree that the state should make access to abortions more limited, with a substantial minority (41%) agreeing that added restrictions should be put in place.

• Over four in ten (41%) of adult residents of Pennsylvania believe that domestic violence in the state is a crisis.

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METHODOLOGY

This report provides results of a telephone survey of 415 adult residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Interviews were conducted between February 12 and March 5, 2024. Respondents were interviewed in English on both landlines (n=83) and cell phones (n=332). With a randomly selected sample of respondents, the margin of error for the survey is +/-6% at a 95% level of confidence. Margins of error for questions with smaller sample size will be larger. In addition to sampling error, one should consider that question wording and other fielding issues can introduce error or bias into survey results. The data has been weighted to gender, age, race, and educational attainment to 2024 population parameters for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided by the United States Census Bureau. The calculation of sampling error takes into account design effects due to the weighting of the sample to the population parameters identified above. In order to reach a representative sample of Pennsylvania adult residents, landlines and cell phones were called up to 3 times. Interviews were conducted by Communication Concepts of Easton Pennsylvania. Due to rounding, the totals provided in the frequency report may not total 100 percent. Data analysis and weighting were conducted through the use of the SPSS statistical software package Version 29.0. The survey instrument was designed by Dr. Christopher P. Borick of the MCIPO in conjunction with the Muhlenberg College Public Health Program and is presented in its entirety in the following section of the report. The survey was funded by the MCIPO. For more detailed information on the methods employed please contact the MCIPO at 484-664-3444 or email Dr. Borick at [email protected].

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SURVEY INSTRUMENT AND RESPONSE FREQUENCIES

SCREENER: Thank you. Just to confirm are you a resident of Pennsylvania who is age 18 or older?

1. Yes…………..…..CONTINUE
2. No………………THANK AND DISCONTINUE
3. Not Sure….……. THANK AND DISCONTINUE

Q1: In general, would you describe the quality of health care in Pennsylvania as excellent, good, fair or poor?

1. Excellent………..16%
2. Good……..………54%
3. Fair……………… 22%
4. Poor……………. 8%

	Spring 2019	Spring 2020	Spring 2021	Spring 2022	Spring 2023	Spring 2024
Excellent	20%	17%	14%	13%	21%	16%
Good	47%	42%	48%	42%	45%	54%
Fair	25%	24%	23%	30%	25%	22%
Poor	5%	16%	12%	12%	7%	8%
Not Sure	3%	<1%	4%	3%	1%	<1%

Q2: In general, would you describe the health care YOU have received in the last year as excellent, good, fair or poor?

1. Excellent………..32%
2. Good……..……..51%
3. Fair……………..13%
4. Poor…………….  4%
5. (98) Not Sure (VOL)...1%

	Spring 2023	Spring 2024
Excellent	29%	32%
Good	48%	51%
Fair	18%	13%
Poor	5%	4%
Not Sure	<1%	<1%

Q3: Next, I would like to ask you a question about marijuana. First, do you favor, oppose or neither favor nor oppose the complete legalization of the use of marijuana for any purpose?

1. Favor………………………49%
2. Oppose…………………….31%
3. Neither Favor or Oppose…. 20%

	Spring 2013	Spring 2014	Spring 2016	Spring 2017	Spring 2018	Spring 2019	Spring 2020	Spring 2021	Spring 2022	Spring 2023	Spring 2024
Favor	33%	38%	39%	45%	49%	51%	56%	58%	56%	50%	49%
Oppose	40%	35%	38%	29%	30%	28%	26%	26%	25%	31%	31%
Neither Favor or Oppose	24%	22%	20%	23%	19%	18%	12%	14%	18%	18%	20%
Not Sure	3%	4%	3%	3%	3%	3%	6%	3%	1%	<1%	<1%

Q4: In the community you live in is opioid abuse a major problem, moderate problem, minor problem or not a problem at all? 

1. Major Problem……………20%
2. Moderate Problem……….. 34%
3. Minor Problem……………26%
4. Not a Problem at All………17% 
5. (98) Not Sure..................2%

	Spring 2023	Spring 2024
Major Problem	25%	20%
Moderate Problem	37%	34%
Minor Problem	21%	26%
Not a Problem at All	10%	17%
Not Sure	7%	2%

Q5: Next, I have a few questions about mental health. How would you describe your own mental health or emotional well-being at this time? Would you say it is -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor

1. Excellent…… ……32%
2. Good………………..51%
3. Only Fair……………14%
4. Poor…………………. 3% 

	Spring 2021	Spring 2022	Spring 2023	Spring 2024
Excellent	33%	35%	25%	32%
Good	45%	44%	53%	51%
Only Fair	19%	17%	17%	14%
Poor	3%	4%	4%	3%
Not Sure	1%	<1%	0%	0%

Q6: Compared to 12 months ago, would you say your mental health or emotional well-being is much better, somewhat better, somewhat worse, much worse or a about the same as a year ago? 

1. Much Better………………………….13%
2. Somewhat Better……………………. 27%
3. Somewhat Worse……………………. 6%
4. Much Worse…………………………. 3%
5. About the Same as a Year Ago………52% 

	Spring 2021	Spring 2022	Spring 2023	Spring 2024
Much Better	9%	12%	10%	13%
Somewhat Better	17%	19%	26%	27%
Somewhat Worse	18%	9%	10%	6%
Much Worse	4%	3%	3%	3%
About the Same as a Year Ago	53%	56%	51%	52%
Not Sure	<1%	0%	0%	0%

Is each of the following items I read a major source of stress, a minor source of stress, or not a source of stress for you? (ROTATE ITEMS) 

	Major Source	Minor Source	Not a Source	Not Sure (Volunteered)
Q7: Your personal situation such as relationships with family members and friends	9%	34%	57%	1%
Q8: Your work	22%	37%	41%	0%
Q9: Your personal finances	22%	46%	32%	0%
Q10: Politics and current events	43%	38%	19%	0%

The next questions are about how you feel about different aspects of your life. For each one, tell me if you always, often, sometimes, rarely or never have felt that way in the past 12 months. (ROTATE OPTIONS) (READ OPTIONS AGAIN IF NECESSARY) 

	Always	Often	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
Q11: Lonely	2%	9%	27%	21%	40%
Q12: Depressed	2%	5%	26%	29%	38%
Q13: Anxious	4%	18%	36%	21%	22%

Q14: Please indicate if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree with the following statements.  First, the chances of a child getting autism are increased if they receive the recommended childhood immunizations. (ROTATE OPTIONS Q14 to Q18) 

1. Strongly Agree………..…6%
2. Somewhat Agree……….16%
3. Somewhat Disagree…….25%
4. Strongly Disagree………47%
5. (98) Not Sure (Vol)………….6%

	Spring 2013	Spring 2014	Spring 2015	Spring 2016	Spring 2017	Spring 2018	Spring 2019	Spring 2020	Spring 2021	Spring 2022	Spring 2023	Spring 2024
Strongly Agree	5%	8%	7%	6%	4%	8%	9%	8%	5%	7%	5%	6%
Somewhat Agree	13%	13%	10%	13%	13%	13%	9%	8%	6%	8%	15%	16%
Somewhat Disagree	22%	21%	22%	16%	14%	14%	16%	13%	12%	26%	28%	25%
Strongly Disagree	35%	39%	48%	51%	48%	49%	55%	57%	52%	41%	42%	47%
Not Sure	26%	19%	12%	14%	21%	16%	11%	15%	25%	18%	11%	6%

Q15: Immunizations pose little health risks to those that receive them.

1. Strongly Agree…………40%
2. Somewhat Agree……….36%
3. Somewhat Disagree…….15%
4. Strongly Disagree………. 9%
5. (98) Not Sure (Vol)………….1%q 

	Spring 2019	Spring 2020	Spring 2021	Spring 2022	Spring 2023	Spring 2024
Strongly Agree	54%	49%	41%	41%	41%	40%
Somewhat Agree	23%	25%	30%	34%	40%	36%
Somewhat Disagree	9%	8%	9%	12%	15%	15%
Strongly Disagree	9%	8%	3%	10%	3%	9%
Not Sure	4%	10%	17%	4%	2%	1%

Q16: E-cigarettes and vaping pose significant health risks  

1. Strongly Agree…………67%
2. Somewhat Agree……….24%
3. Somewhat Disagree……. 6%
4. Strongly Disagree……… 3%
5. (98) Not Sure (Vol)………..<1% 

Q17: Pennsylvania needs stronger restrictions on access to firearms. 

1. Strongly Agree…………34%
2. Somewhat Agree……….25%
3. Somewhat Disagree…….16%
4. Strongly Disagree………25%
5. (98) Not Sure (Vol)……   …<1% 

Q18: Access to abortions should be more limited in Pennsylvania 

1. Strongly Agree…………20%
2. Somewhat Agree……….21%
3. Somewhat Disagree…….22%
4. Strongly Disagree………37%
5. (98) Not Sure (Vol)………...<1% 

Next, I’m going to read a list of issues in Pennsylvania today. For each issue I mention please indicate if you think the issue is a crisis, a problem but not a crisis, or not a problem at all?. First, (ROTATE QUESTIONS 19-23) 

Q19: Aggressive Driving 

1. Crisis……………………………12%
2. A problem but not a crisis………69%
3. Not a problem…………………..19%

Q20: Fracking 

1. Crisis……………………………… 11%
2. A problem but not a crisis………… 45%
3. Not a problem…………………….. 34%
4. (98) Not sure……………………...……10% 

Q21: Climate change 

1. Crisis…………………………………31%
2. A problem but not a crisis……………46%
3. Not a problem………………………...23%
4. (98) Not sure……………………………..<1% 
   
   

	Spring 2023	Spring 2024
Crisis	29%	31%
A problem but not a crisis	38%	46%
Not a Problem	28%	23%
Not sure	4%	<1%

Q22: Obesity 

1. Crisis………………………………..…43%
2. A problem but not a crisis……….…… 53%
3. Not a problem…………………………..4%
4. (98) Not sure……………………….……...<1% 

Q23: Domestic Violence 

1. Crisis……………………………………41%
2. A problem but not a crisis………………55%
3. Not a problem……………………..……..4%
4. (98) Not sure…………………………..…….1%

(DEMOGRAPHICS)

 Q24. Finally, I have a few questions about yourself. First, what is your current marital status? 

Single	31%
Married	50%
Separated	2%
Divorced	9%
Widowed	7%
Partnered	1%

 Q25: What is your highest level of education? Is it (READ LIST)? 

Less Than High School	3%
High School Graduate	30%
Some College Or Technical School	26%
College Graduate (4 Yr Only)	27%
Graduate Or Professional Degree	14%

Q26: Which of the following categories best describes your racial identity? (READ LIST) 

White/Caucasian	74%
Black/African-American	11%
Hispanic or Latino	9%
Asian	2%
Native American	0%
Mixed Race	4%
Or Other	1%

Q27: Which of the following categories best describes your current voting status? Are you registered as a (READ LIST)? 

Democrat	43%
Republican	39%
Independent	12%
Other Party	1%
Or Not Registered To Vote In Pennsylvania	4%
Not Sure (Vol)	1%

Q28: Which of the following categories best describes your religious affiliation?  Are you (READ LIST)? 

Catholic	29%
Protestant	30%
Jewish	3%
Muslim	3%
Hindu	2%
Other Religion (Including Agnostic)	29%
Atheist	5%

Q29: Do you have children under the age of 18? 

Has Children Under 18	22%
No Children Under 18	78%

Q30: Which of the following best describes your health care insurance status. Are you primarily insured: 

By A Plan Provided By Your Employer	50%
By A Plan That You Purchase Individually	10%
By Medicaid Coverage	7%
By Medicare Coverage	24%
Uninsured	3%
Other	4%
Not Sure (Vol)	2%

Q31: In which of the following age categories does your current age fall. (READ LIST) 

18-29	23%
30-49	30%
50-65	26%
Or Over 65	22%

Q32: Which of the following categories best describes your family income? (READ LIST) 

Under $20,000	8%
$20,000-$40,000	16%
$40,000-$60,000	20%
$60,000-$80,000	18%
$80,000-$100,000	15%
Over $100,000	22%
Not Sure (Vol)	<1%

Q33:  Finally, to which gender identity do you most identify? (READ LIST) 

Female	51%
Male	49%
Transgender Male	0%
Transgender Female	<1%
Or you do not identify as male, female or transgender	0%
Not Sure (Vol)	<1%

SELECTED CROSS TABULATIONS 

Q10: Politics and current events are a major source of stress, a minor source of stress, or not a source of stress for you? 

	Major Source	Minor Source	Not a Source
Female	47%	36%	18%
Male	39%	40%	20%
No College Degree	43%	35%	22%
College Degree	43%	43%	15%
White	43%	38%	19%
Person of Color	43%	38%	19%
Democrat	44%	42%	14%
Republican	47%	33%	21%
Independent	39%	35%	27%
18-29	43%	37%	20%
30-49	39%	45%	16%
50-65	46%	39%	15%
Over 65	44%	30%	26%
Under 60k Income	44%	34%	22%
Over 60 K Income	42%	40%	18%

Q18: Access to abortions should be more limited in Pennsylvania 

	Strongly Agree	Somewhat Agree	Somewhat Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Not Sure VOL)
Female	18%	18%	19%	45%	0%
Male	21%	25%	26%	28%	1%
No College Degree	23%	24%	24%	30%	0%
College Degree	15%	17%	20%	48%	1%
White	21%	19%	21%	40%	0%
Person of Color	17%	26%	26%	29%	1%
Democrat	11%	16%	15%	57%	1%
Republican	30%	27%	23%	20%	0%
Independent	12%	27%	37%	25%	0%
18-29	11%	21%	25%	43%	0%
30-49	17%	25%	23%	35%	0%
50-65	17%	19%	26%	37%	1%
Over 65	36%	19%	13%	32%	0%
Under 60k Income	22%	25%	22%	31%	0%
Over 60 K Income	18%	18%	22%	41%	0%

Q17: Pennsylvania needs stronger restrictions on access to firearms. 

	Strongly Agree	Somewhat Agree	Somewhat Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Not Sure VOL)
Female	45%	25%	14%	17%	1%
Male	23%	25%	18%	33%	0%
No College Degree	29%	26%	19%	26%	0%
College Degree	42%	24%	11%	23%	1%
White	34%	21%	18%	28%	0%
Person of Color	35%	36%	11%	18%	0%
Democrat	54%	25%	7%	13%	1%
Republican	18%	18%	26%	38%	0%
Independent	16%	41%	18%	25%	0%
18-29	25%	31%	19%	25%	0%
30-49	30%	26%	18%	26%	0%
50-65	29%	29%	12%	29%	1%
Over 65	54%	11%	14%	20%	0%
Under 60k Income	32%	26%	18%	25%	0%
Over 60 K Income	36%	24%	15%	25%	0%

Q21: Climate Change is a crisis, a problem but not a crisis, or not a problem at all 

	Crisis	A Problem but not a Crisis	Not a Problem	Not Sure
Female	30%	49%	21%	1%
Male	31%	43%	26%	1%
No College Degree	27%	43%	29%	0%
College Degree	36%	49%	14%	1%
White	28%	45%	26%	1%
Person of Color	38%	48%	14%	0%
Democrat	41%	50%	10%	0%
Republican	19%	42%	39%	1%
Independent	34%	38%	28%	0%
18-29	41%	42%	18%	0%
30-49	33%	53%	15%	0%
50-65	26%	43%	29%	1%
Over 65	23%	43%	34%	1%
Under 60k Income	29%	44%	26%	1%
Over 60 K Income	34%	45%	21%	0%

Q23: Domestic Violence is a crisis, a problem but not a crisis, or not a problem at all 

	Crisis	A Problem but not a Crisis	Not a Problem	Not Sure
Female	46%	51%	3%	1%
Male	37%	59%	4%	1%
No College Degree	43%	53%	4%	0%
College Degree	38%	57%	3%	2%
White	39%	57%	3%	1%
Person of Color	46%	48%	6%	0%
Democrat	43%	52%	5%	1%
Republican	42%	55%	3%	1%
Independent	49%	45%	6%	0%
18-29	51%	44%	5%	0%
30-49	41%	56%	2%	1%
50-65	39%	54%	7%	1%
Over 65	33%	66%	0%	1%
Under 60k Income	40%	54%	5%	1%
Over 60 K Income	44%	54%	2%	0%