Zogby Interactive: 71% in UK Satisfied With Government-Run Healthcare
60% Pleased With How Long It Takes to Get Appointments
UTICA, New York - While the U.S. Congress is weighing whether to include a government-run public option in healthcare reform, a Zogby Interactive poll of adults in the United Kingdom found that 71% are satisfied with the National Health Service (NHS), that nation's publicly-funded healthcare system. Also, 60% positively rated the amount of time they usually wait before they get an appointment with a doctor. The poll included 506 adults in the UK, and had a margin of error of 4.4%, with larger margins for sub-groups. The survey asked how satisfied people were with the NHS on a four-point scale: very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied and very dissatisfied. Here are the results: Very Satisfied 18.6% Somewhat Satisfied 52.5% Somewhat Dissatisfied 21.1% Very Dissatisfied 5.7% Note Sure 2.1% So overall, 71% are satisfied and 27% are dissatisfied. Satisfaction increased with age, going from 55% among those 18-29 to 86% among those 65 and older. Men were more likely to be satisfied with the NHS than women, 77% to 66%. The question on waiting times for a doctor's appointment provided a range of excellent, good, fair and poor. Here are the results: Excellent 18.0% Good 42.3% Fair 25.1% Poor 13.6% Note Sure 1.o% Using the Zogby practice of combining excellent and good responses as positive and fair and poor as negative, a total of 60% of UK adults feel positively about these wait times and 39% are negative. There were no significant differences among demographic groups. Pollster John Zogby: Opponents of government involvement in healthcare say they do not want the U.S. system to be like those of nations with so-called socialized medicine. Our poll shows very high levels of satisfaction with such a system in the United Kingdom. Proponents of the "public option" will be happy with what we found in the United Kingdom, which might sway some Americans who are wavering on the issue. However, resistance among conservatives is rock-solid, and they will argue that what might work in Europe is still the wrong thing for America." Zogby International's partners supply email addresses for adults in the United Kingdom, and a random sampling of these panelists were invited to participate. For a complete methodological statement on this survey, please visit: http://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.cfm?ID=1419 (9/21/2009)