The One Poll Question That Shows How Confused Americans Are About Obamacare

With only five days before enrollment in insurance exchanges begin under the Affordable Care Act, the key issue facing the Obama administration is general confusion about the law and its effects on them, which has led to near-record unpopularity in numerous polls.

And according to a new CNBC poll, that confusion extends to what you call the law.

People's opinions are shaped by how pollsters refer to the law. According to the poll, calling it the "Affordable Care Act" leads to more intense feelings - both positive and negative - than calling it "Obamacare."

35% of respondents described their reaction to "Obamacare" as "very negative," compared with only 24% that said the same thing about the "Affordable Care Act." Similarly, 14% view "Obamacare" very positively, compared with only 10% who say the same when it's called the ACA.

Overall, respondents viewed "Obamacare" negatively by a 46-29 split. That's similar to the 37-22 negative split on the "Affordable Care Act." But 30% don't know enough about the ACA to give an opinion, compared with 12% who say the same about Obamacare.

The Obama administration announced another delay of one of the law's provisions on Thursday. Though it the delay doesn't appear to be significant, it has the potential to complicate messaging leading up to the rollout of the exchanges next week.

The groups that the administration needs to convince are political independents. Both Democrats and, especially, Republicans are quite sure in their opinions. In fact, just 18% of Republicans say they don't know enough about the ACA to give their opinion.