Majority Support U.S Health Care Reform's Individual Mandate: Poll

Americans are warming to a requirement in President Barack Obama's health care reform law that most people carry insurance, as a poll released Monday shows that a majority support the individual mandate.

The poll was released on the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court announced that the justices will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the mandate and other aspects of the Affordable Care Act.

The CNN/ORC International Poll showed that 52 percent of Americans favor a mandate on health insurance while 47 oppose the provision.

Mandate Trend

That is nearly a 10-percentage point leap from June, when 44 percent of those surveyed supported the mandate, according to CNN. Meanwhile, the opposition dipped to 47 percent, from 54 percent in the summer.

The health insurance mandate has gained most support since June among older Americans and among lower-income Americans, CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. A majority of independents opposed the measure in June, but 52 percent of them now favor it.

ORC International Poll conducted the survey for CNN from Nov. 11 -13. The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.