Australians' healthcare concerns in February 2020

Healthcare is consistently cited as one of the top issues facing the nation and, while Australians’ concerns regarding the environment still top the heap in February 2020, our worries regarding healthcare aren’t too far behind. Download the Ipsos Issues Monitor - a focus on healthcare concerns infographic AND check out these three things you need to know about who is worried and why we are so concerned:

1. Get old, get worried. We don’t all worry about the same things, to the same extent. So, despite Australians – as a collective – selecting Healthcare as the 2nd biggest issue facing the nation (34%), Boomers (42%) and Builders (37%) expressed most concern, followed Gen X (31%), Gen Z (30%) and Millennials (26%). In fact, the Boomers and Builders nominated Healthcare as the nation’s top worry. Gen X placed it 3rd behind Cost of Living (40%) and The Environment (39%), Gen Z also had it 3rd behind The Environment (42%) and Cost of Living (32%). Millennials nominated it as the nation’s fourth biggest concern behind The Environment (37%), Cost of Living (36%) and The Economy (29%).
   Not only do Australians get more worried about healthcare issues as the age, they are also more likely to believe that the Coalition is better placed to manage this concern relative to the ALP. In saying this, the opposite is also true, with younger Australians much more likely to select the ALP as the party most capable relative to the Coalition.
2. Concerns about healthcare are always on our radar because we place such a high value on the provision of high-quality health services. As reported in the 2019 Ipsos Life in Metropolitan and Regional Australia reports, Australians selected the provision of ‘high quality health services’ as the 2nd most important attribute that makes somewhere a good place to live. Given its importance, and constant position as one of the top issues facing our nation, the availability and performance of health services is always in the societal and political lens. Perhaps because of this, we mostly excel in the delivery of health services and are considered a healthy nation by global standards. And, despite our relatively complex government structures and vast geography we ranked 18th out of 167 nations on the 2019 Legatum Prosperity Index’s Health Pillar.
3. Providing health services is a massive part of our local and international economic future. Australia’s economy is in transition. The nation is actively trying to set course for an economy where the relative GDP footprint earned from being the world’s quarry is smaller, replaced by all manner of services, knowledge and experiences; mostly exported into emerging Asian countries. We are plotting a plan to be less brawn, more brains. Less soil, more skills. Australia prides itself on delivering high quality public services. Our citizens have come to demand it, and for the most part we deliver. Exporting high quality services – in the areas of tourism, education and health-care – can assist the nation in working towards achieving its new economic goals.
   In practice, the China-Australia free trade agreement (FTA) has provision for Australian private hospital providers to establish and operate profit generating hospitals in China. While this will certainly create markets for Australian providers on-the-ground in China – and some large operators have already exercised this opportunity – it also opens the door for those same providers to explore delivering services to Chinese citizens in existing Australian private facilities, coupling the experience with other unique export opportunities that are in high demand – such as tourism.
   Further to this, a recent report by the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney cited several areas where Australia could leverage its expertise to meet the ever-growing demand for high quality health services.
   Like Australia, China has an ageing population. However, unlike Australia, China does not have the infrastructure, experience or necessarily the skills to deliver against their massive demand. China will need assistance, and, given the provision of aged-care services is also included in the FTA, we are well positioned to provide it. With regard to health education, China consumes one-third of the world’s cigarettes. Australia has one of the lowest tobacco consumption rates in the world. Working with the Chinese government to assist in reducing smoking rates – through education and treatment – is another area where we can leverage our skills to meet their need.

Content informing this article has been drawn from the Ipsos Issues Monitor – Australia’s longest running ongoing survey of community concerns and the Ipsos Life in Australia Report – the nation’s largest investigation into Australians’ values and liveability. Please reach out if you would like to know more about how better understanding citizens’ concerns, values and lived-experiences can positively impact the services you offer.