Public confidence in the NHS improves, but attitudes towards social care remain deeply pessimistic
The Health Foundation and Ipsos deliver a programme of public polling research, providing insights into public perceptions of health and social care. Every six months, we survey a representative sample of the UK public using the UK KnowledgePanel, Ipsos' random probability online panel.
The latest survey, conducted in May 2026, shows:
Public attitudes towards the NHS are becoming less pessimistic: Just over a third of the public (34%) believe the general standard of NHS care has worsened over the last 12 months, down from 42% in December 2025. At the same time, the proportion saying standards have improved has increased from 12% to 16%. Looking ahead, fewer people now expect NHS standards to deteriorate over the next year, while optimism has increased modestly.
Perceptions of social care remain overwhelmingly negative: Two in five people (40%) think the general standard of social care has worsened over the last 12 months, while only 4% believe it has improved. Looking ahead, 44% expect standards to get worse over the next year, compared with just 7% who expect improvement. More than half of the public (51%) disagree that the government has the right policies for social care.
Many people still misunderstand how social care works: While awareness of key aspects of the system has improved somewhat, misconceptions remain widespread. Nearly four in ten people in England (39%) incorrectly believe social care is generally free at the point of use, while a third (34%) think the NHS provides most social care services for older people.
The public favour a greater role for the state and non-profit providers in social care: Nearly two-thirds (63%) correctly recognise that most care providers are privately owned for-profit organisations. However, only 5% think this is how social care should be provided. Instead, the public show a clear preference for provision through the NHS, local authorities and charities or not-for-profit organisations.
Dedicated taxes to the NHS and social care, and spending cuts elsewhere are the public’s preferred options for funding additional investment: If government were to increase spending, the most popular funding options (from those presented) for both the NHS and social care are introducing a dedicated tax specifically for these services and reducing spending on other areas of government activity. Views become more divided when considering broader tax increases or whether spending should rise at all.
The NHS remains the public's top spending priority: Six in ten people (60%) select the NHS as one of their top priorities for future public spending. Defence and the armed forces has risen in importance, overtaking social care for older people to become the second-highest priority.
Improving urgent and primary care access remains the public's main NHS priority: Reducing A&E waiting times (36%) and making it easier to get GP appointments (35%) continue to be the public's top priorities for NHS improvement, ahead of reducing waiting times for routine hospital treatment.
Read more and download the full polling report and slide pack from The Health Foundation’s website
The survey was conducted between 21 and 27 May 2026 using Ipsos’ UK KnowledgePanel, a random probability online panel. We surveyed 2,238 people aged 16 years and older in the UK. A response rate of 53%. The sample was reviewed on key demographics to ensure a balanced sample was selected. Weighting was applied to the data to ensure the survey results are as representative of the UK population as possible. Calibration weighting was applied to region and an interlocked variable of Gender by Age; and demographic weights were applied to Education, Ethnicity, Index of Multiple Deprivation (quintiles), and number of adults in the household.
