NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A majority of Tennesseans — including nearly three-quarters of those identifying themselves as Republicans — prefer a state-run health insurance exchange over one run by the federal government, according to a poll released by Vanderbilt University on Wednesday.

The poll of 829 registered voters showed 53 percent favor the state-run marketplace, while 33 percent prefer the federal approach. Seventy-two percent of Republicans surveyed said they support the state-based approach to the exchanges required under the federal health care law, compared with 31 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of independents.

Those results contrast with Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's decision earlier this week not to pursue a state-run exchange. States can't opt out of the insurance exchanges, they can only decide whether to run them themselves, defer to the federal government or create a hybrid of the two.