NHS is number one area of public spending to protect from cuts says new Ipsos/Nuffield Trust poll
A new Ipsos poll for the Nuffield Trust shows the public want spending on the NHS to be protected from cuts and most are prepared to see either tax rises or cuts to other services in order to maintain the current levels of care and services provided for free by the NHS.
The poll shows around eight in ten (79%) Britons believe some services should be protected from public spending cuts, while 15% say no services should be ring-fenced.
Among those that think some services should be protected, the NHS comes top with 79% saying it should be protected from cuts. The other priorities for protection are:
- Schools (51%)
- Care for the elderly (51%)
- The Police (39%)
- Social services (21%)
Around one in ten said benefit payments (10%), local authority services (10%) and defence (9%) while just 4% want to see overseas aid protected.
When it comes to the increased cost of funding the NHS, around half (48%) of the public say they want to raise taxes in order to maintain the level of spending needed to keep the current level of care and services provided by the NHS for free. One in five (21%) say spending should be reduced on other services such as education as welfare in order to maintain current NHS care and services. One in ten (11%) say they want to see reduced levels of NHS care and services so that spending does not have to increase.
Ben Page, Chief Executive of Ipsos said:
“The results of this poll show the lengths the public say they are willing to go to, to protect current NHS services. Whether they appreciate the scale of the challenge is another matter.”
Technical Details
1,006 British adults 18+ were interviewed by telephone between 22nd and 25th November 2012. Data weighted to the national population profile
