The Hill Poll: Contraception mandate fails to shift political edge

Despite political gesturing, the controversy over President
Obama’s birth-control mandate doesn’t seem to be driving likely voters to just
one side of the debate, according to The Hill Poll.

When asked if the debate surrounding the administration’s
decision to require all healthcare providers to cover birth control for women
made them likely to support Obama or the Republican presidential nominee, 36
percent said they were more likely to support the Republican and 35 percent
said Obama. Twenty-eight percent said it would make no difference.

{mosads}Surprisingly, views didn’t greatly split along gender lines.
Thirty-three percent of men and 36 percent of women said they preferred Obama
after the mandate, while 38 percent of men and 34 percent of women said the
decision made them more likely to vote for a Republican.

A Feb. 16-19 Gallup poll also showed a split decision. Of
1,014 adults, it found that 48 percent sympathized more with the views of
religious leaders who objected to the mandate, while 45 percent said they
sympathized more with the Obama administration’s decision.

Pulse Opinion Research conducted The Hill Poll of 1,000
likely voters on Feb. 23, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage
points.

Click here to view data from The Hill Poll.