Public Knowledge of Blood Types Low in Great Britain

• New polling from Ipsos explores public awareness of donation rules, testing knowledge on eligibility criteria ranging from dietary choices to lifestyle factors.
• More than half of British adults (56%) do not know their own blood type
• Polling further illustrates gaps in understanding regarding who can and cannot safely donate.

London, UK - New polling data from Ipsos shows that a majority of people across Great Britain do not know their own blood type, while widespread misconceptions exist regarding the specific rules and eligibility criteria for blood donation. The research, which surveyed 1,089 adults aged 18–75, highlights a clear opportunity for public health communication to dispel deep-seated myths and clarify who is eligible to give blood.

Awareness and Donation History

The study shows that personal awareness regarding blood types is surprisingly low, and actual donation experience remains limited to a minority of the population:

• Knowledge of blood type: More than half of Britons, 5 in 10 (56%), report that they do not know what their own blood type is based on standard categorisations (such as AB+, A-, or O+), while 4 in 10 (44%) state that they do know it.
• Donation history: Roughly 1 in 3 British adults (32%) say they have ever donated or given blood.

Testing the Nation's Knowledge: Myths vs Realities

To understand what might be holding potential donors back, Ipsos presented respondents with a series of factual and fictional statements regarding eligibility. The findings highlight several areas where public knowledge is severely split or clouded by uncertainty:

• Dietary and lifestyle factors: Encouragingly, 7 in 10 Britons (70%) correctly identify the statement "vegans and vegetarians cannot donate/give blood" as false, though 1 in 4 (25%) admit they do not know. Similarly, 6 in 10 (60%) correctly know it is false that people with tattoos cannot donate, and 67% know that individuals with piercings are not automatically barred. However, confusion remains, with 29% and 27% answering "don't know" to the tattoo and piercing statements respectively.
• Physical and medical criteria: Public understanding is split on the physical toll of donating; while 7 in 10 (72%) correctly recognize that donating blood does not
• weaken the body, more than 1 in 10 (12%) believe that it does, and 16% remain unsure. Furthermore, 4 in 10 Britons (40%) correctly know that you can donate blood even if you take medication, but 18% believe this is false and 42% say they do not know.
• Age and frequency boundaries: The public is highly aware of donation frequency, with 8 in 10 (79%) correctly identifying that you can donate multiple times a year. However, massive knowledge gaps emerge around age guidelines: 45% do not know if there is an upper age limit to donating blood, and 40% do not know whether children aged 12–15 can usually donate.

Commenting on the findings, Sue Phillips, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ipsos said:

The data presents a fascinating paradox for public health in Great Britain. While a reassuring 8 in 10 Britons understand that blood donation can be a regular, multi-time-a-year commitment, more than half still does not know their own blood type. This baseline lack of awareness is compounded by a distinct layer of confusion when it comes to the actual mechanics of who can give blood.

Misconceptions around medication, tattoos, and health impacts, alongside widespread uncertainty regarding age thresholds, could mean that perfectly eligible donors are self-excluding. Health services and policy makers should amplify communications that actively dismantle these persistent myths and replace 'don't know' with clear facts to unlock a vital wave of new donors.

Notes to Editors: · For media queries, please contact [email protected]

• For the full findings, please visit the Ipsos website.
• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,089 online British adults aged 18–75. Polling was conducted online between 5th and 8th June 2026.
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.