In fact, David Letterman once joked, "USA Today has come out with a new survey – apparently, three out of every four people make up 75 percent of the population."
There's a survey for everything. Using survey data to support an argument is a lot like quoting the Bible: you can find a passage – or set of numbers – to support any side.
You can live by survey numbers like the Clinton administration back in the 90s, bending along with the prevailing political winds. Or you can ignore them completely, like the oblivious Bush administration, blazing increasingly unpopular political trails.
Recommended For You
All of that being said, the results of the latest Employee Benefits Research Institute study, while not particularly earth-shattering, are worth noting.
The 10th annual Health Confidence Survey reports that 63 percent of Americans took a bigger hit last year in out-of-pocket health care expense last year. Better stop the presses. The only surprising news there is that the number isn't higher.
Worse yet? Only 81 percent of those surveyed said cost increases would "force" them to take better care of themselves. So, nearly 20 percent of those poor saps figure a lack of exercise and fast food diets are going to make things better?
It's this lack of education and motivation that crashes together into a perfect storm of discontent. As if your job this enrollment season wasn't hard enough…
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
