U.S. majority favors freezing healthcare reform efforts: Gallup

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- A majority of Americans believe that Congress should freeze its current efforts on healthcare overhaul, according to a poll released by Gallup on Friday.

Fifty-five percent of Americans said Congress should suspend work on the current healthcare bill the House and Senate are working on and consider alternative bills that can receive more Republican support, compared with 39 who favor Congress' continuing to try and pass the bill, the survey shows.

The poll was conducted on Jan. 20, one day after Massachusetts voters elected a Republican to the Senate for the first time since 1972.

Seventy-two percent of the people being polled said the election result reflects many Americans' frustrations, which President Barack Obama and members of Congress should pay attention to.

During his campaign, Brown has promised to cast the 41st vote that Republicans need to filibuster -- a procedure used to stall and defeat legislation -- the final passage of the healthcare bill.

Obama conceded his "mistake" after the special Senate election, which was interpreted as the president will pay more attention to jobs and the economy.

"If there's one thing that I regret this year is that we were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises that were in front of us that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people," said Obama.