The General Public's High Expectations of Adult Social Care

Ipsos's recent research conducted on behalf of Disability Rights Commission (DRC) looks at public attitudes towards social care. The survey reveals that there is a gulf between expectation and provision of adult social care in Great Britain.

13 July 2006

Some of the key findings from the report are:

When asked about the likelihood of being able to provide regular unpaid care to a family member or friend who is disabled or has a long-term health condition, only one in five (21%) said they were very likely; while three in ten (29%) said they were fairly likely. However, more than a third of respondents (35%) said they were unlikely to provide regular unpaid care in the future.
People feel that if they become disabled or develop a long-term health condition they would like to be able to make decisions about their own lives (81%) and get support from Local Authorities to stay in their own house (57%).
Furthermore, the public would like social services or public agencies to provide support for them to stay in their own home (90%), provide basic needs such as food, shelter and medical care (88%) and give them the choice to not live in a residential care home (87%).
Half of the public stated that the cost of caring should be paid for by the individual, their close family or friends. On the other hand, a third of the public (32%) said that there should be no contribution towards the cost of caring.
Half of the public supports an increase in tax in order to fund better adult social care; however, a quarter of the public (26%) opposes an increase in tax. A quarter of the public (24%) remains undecided about whether they support or oppose a tax increase for better adult social care.

Technical details

Ipsos interviewed a nationally representative quota sample of 2,053 adults aged 15+ in 202 sample points throughout Great Britain. Interviews were carried out face-to-face in respondents' homes. Fieldwork was conducted between 25-30 May 2006.

Topline Results

Results are based on 2,053 face-to-face interviews conducted with adults aged 16+ in Great Britain.
Fieldwork was conducted from 25-30 May 2006.
There were 202 sampling points used for this omnibus wave.
Results are based on all respondents (2053) unless otherwise stated.
Data are weighted by gender, age and working status to the overall profile of Great Britain.
Where results do not sum to 100, this may be due to multiple responses or computer rounding.
An asterisk (*) represents a value below 0.5%, but not zero.

Q1 Do you personally know anyone who is disabled or has a long-term health condition? Which of the following categories apply to them?

	%
Yes, male under retirement age	18
Yes, female under retirement age	16
Yes, male over retirement age	22
Yes, female over retirement age	31
Yes	63
No	37
Under retirement age	29
Over retirement age	42
Male	35
Female	43
Don't know	-

Q2 Are you or have you ever personally been responsible for providing care for any older or working age relatives or friends who are disabled or have a long-term health condition? By care, we mean personal care like help with washing, dressing, feeding, housework, shopping, going out etc. Which of the following categories apply to them?

	%
Yes, male under retirement age	5
Yes, female under retirement age	6
Yes, male over retirement age	11
Yes, female over retirement age	21
Yes	35
No	65
Under retirement age	10
Over retirement age	27
Male	16
Female	26
Don't know	-

Q3 How likely, if at all, is it that you would be able to provide regular unpaid care in the future, if a close relative or friend became disabled or developed a long-term health condition? Again, by care, we mean personal care like help with washing, dressing, feeding, housework, shopping, going out etc.

	%
Very likely	21
Fairly likely	29
Neither likely nor unlikely	11
Not very likely	19
Not at all likely	16
Don't know	5

Q4 Which, of the following, if any that you know personally, currently provides care to older or working age relatives and friends who are disabled or have a long-term health condition?

	%
My mother	11
My father	5
My sister/brother	9
My spouse	7
My child/children	5
My stepchild/stepchildren	1
My grandchild/grandchildren	2
Other family members	22
My friends	19
Social services	22
None of the above	37
Don't know	2
Immediate family	23

Q5 How much, if any, of the cost of caring for adults who are disabled or have or long-term health conditions do you think should be paid for by the individual, their close family (spouse/partner, children, siblings) or friends? By costs, I mean costs of transport, clothing, toiletries, medicine and special food (excluding personal care and housing costs).

	%
None of the cost	32
Up to one-quarter of the cost (1% - 24% of the cost)	22
Between one quarter and half of the cost (25% - 49% of the cost)	14
Between half and three quarters of the cost (50% - 74% of the cost)	8
Between three quarters and all of the cost (75% - 99% of the cost)	2
All of the cost (100% of the cost)	4
None of these	6
Don't know	13

Q6 If you were to become disabled or develop a long-term health condition in the future, how likely do you believe it would be that you would ... ?

	Very likely	Fairly likely	Neither likely nor unlikely	Not very likely	Not at all likely	Don't know
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Make decisions about your own life	47	35	8	3	2	6
Have someone else make decisions about some aspects of your life	8	37	15	20	14	6
Move into a residential care home	5	22	18	27	20	8
Get support from your local authority to stay in your own home	21	36	14	15	5	9
Move in with (a) male family member(s)	5	16	15	27	30	7
Move in with (a) female family member(s)	9	22	14	23	25	7
Move in with male and female family members	8	21	15	24	25	7

Q7 If at some point in the future you were to develop a disability or a long-term health condition, how important is it that social services or other public agencies should provide the following ... ?

	Very important	Fairly important	Neither Important nor unimportant	Not very important	Not at all important	Don't know
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Support for you to stay in work	33	32	14	5	9	7
Support for you to stay in your own home	65	25	6	1	1	3
The choice to not live in a residential care home	61	26	7	2	1	4
The means to visit your family and friends	55	28	8	4	2	3
The means to take part in community activities	40	38	11	7	2	3
Basic needs such as food, shelter and medical care	66	21	6	2	1	3

Split Sample Version 1

Q8a To what extent, if at all, do you agree or disagree with the following statement -- 'I would be prepared to pay more taxes to fund better social care for disabled people and people with a long-term health condition'. Base: 1,057 respondents

	%
Strongly agree	15
Tend to agree	39
Neither agree nor disagree	18
Tend to disagree	13
Strongly disagree	10
Don't know	4

Split Sample Version 2

Q8b To what extent, if at all, do you agree or disagree with the following statement - 'I would not be prepared to pay more taxes to fund better social care for disabled people and people with a long-term health condition'. Base: 996 respondents

	%
Strongly agree	9
Tend to agree	20
Neither agree nor disagree	22
Tend to disagree	34
Strongly disagree	13
Don't know	3

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