Public backs disability benefits across political divide, while dissatisfaction with the NHS is more wide-ranging, new British Social Attitudes research shows

London, UK, Tuesday 8th September – Two new chapters from the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, published by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), reveal that public support for disability benefits remains strong across the political spectrum, while dissatisfaction with the NHS is now more wide-ranging across the service than it was shortly before New Labour gained power in 1997.

Support for disability benefits transcends polarised politics

New BSA research shows that very few people support reducing spending on benefits for disabled people, regardless of their political affiliation. In 2025, only 7% of people said there should be less spending on disability benefits, and 49% said there should be more spending (even if it would probably lead to higher taxes). 

Support for spending on disabled people remains high even among right-leaning voters – 40% of right-leaning voters supported more spending on benefits for disabled people who cannot work, and only 10% supported less spending. Notably, the reverse is the case for unemployment benefits where support for spending more is the minority position for supporters of all parties.  The findings also show that while overall support for welfare spending gone down sharply since 2019, disabled people remain the public's highest priority when asked who should receive additional support.

The results suggest that proposals to reduce disability benefit spending could carry political risks, with most people continuing to support benefits designed to help meet the additional costs of disability, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Dr Robert de Vries, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Sociology at the University of Kent and BSA co-author said: “Despite growing political divisions on welfare, support for disability benefits remains remarkably strong. Very few people favour cuts, disabled people are seen as among the most deserving recipients of support, and proposals to reduce disability benefits appear politically risky across the political spectrum."

Scale of NHS challenge greater than that faced by New Labour 

New analysis, based on BSA’s unique collection of over forty years of data on long-term trends in satisfaction with the health service, suggests the challenge facing the current government in its attempt to restore confidence in the NHS is greater than that which New Labour successfully tackled between 1997 and 2010. 

Not only is the level of NHS satisfaction even lower now, but dissatisfaction is to be found more widely across its services.

In 1996, shortly before New Labour came to power, just 36% were satisfied with the NHS. However, by the time it left office in 2010, satisfaction reached a record 70%.   

In 2023, shortly before the current government entered office, even fewer (24%) were satisfied than in 1996. The latest figure is still only 26%.

The public’s biggest concern, as in the 1990s, is difficulty in gaining access to services. However, it is now perceived to be a problem across the NHS rather than primarily a problem with hospital-based care.

In 1996, 79% felt the time it took to get an appointment with a consultant was in need of improvement, while 76% said the same about getting a hospital operation. Only 43% felt GPs’ appointment systems were in need of improvement. 

Now, 58% are dissatisfied with the time it takes to secure a GP appointment, only slightly lower than the 63% who are dissatisfied with the time it takes to access hospital care.

Shortly before New Labour took office, as many as 77% were satisfied with the GP service, well above the 53% who were satisfied with inpatients and 52% with outpatients. Now, at 35%, satisfaction with the GP service is almost as low as that for being in hospital as an inpatient or outpatient (37%).

Even fewer (22%) are currently satisfied with the accident & emergency service, while just 14% happy with the length of time people have to wait in A&E.

Meanwhile, the chapter argues that the options and resources available to the current government are more limited than that which New Labour used to turn around the service. Fiscal constraint means it is unable to increase spending at the same rate New Labour did, while many of the benefits of setting targets may already have been realised. Meanwhile, the demand for care is growing because of an ageing population where more are in poor health.

Sir John Curtice, Senior Research Fellow at NatCen and BSA co-author, said: “The principal source of the public’s high level of dissatisfaction with the NHS is much the same today as it was when New Labour was in power – they feel it takes too long to access the care they need. However, whereas under New Labour this concern was focused on the time it took to get a hospital appointment, now it extends to all parts of the NHS including GPs. Meanwhile, the tight fiscal backdrop and the ageing of the population means that turning the NHS around looks more challenging than it was 25 years ago.”

Bea Taylor, co-author of the report and Fellow at the Nuffield Trust said: “There is a striking similarity in the inheritance faced by the current Labour government and its New Labour predecessor when it comes to the NHS: low public satisfaction driven by concern over the speed at which patients can access care. But this time around the malaise felt by the public about the NHS is more widespread, affecting perceptions of all NHS services, not just hospital care. What’s more, the long tail of the Covid-19 pandemic has sent shockwaves through the NHS, making the road to recovery much more challenging for the current Government.”

Danielle Jefferies, co-author of the report and Senior Analyst at The King’s Fund added: “The lesson from the New Labour years is that restoring public confidence in the NHS is possible, but it is not quick: even with rising satisfaction early on and major spending increases, it took 13 years to reach its peak. The challenge now is broader and the money tighter, but there are early signs of improvement - and with sustained focus on access, productivity and the basics of care, the NHS can begin to build back satisfaction."