Public attitudes to the NHS and social care

About the study

This report draws upon responses to the latest British Social Attitudes survey to explore public satisfaction with the NHS and social care.

The British Social Attitudes survey is one of NatCen’s flagship studies. It has been running for over 40 years, and the question on levels of satisfaction with the NHS has been asked consistently since 1984. 

Findings

• Just 1 in 5 people (21%) said they were satisfied with the way the NHS runs in 2024.
• Almost 6 in 10 (59%) people said they were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ dissatisfied with the NHS in 2024, a sharp rise from 52% in 2023. This is the highest level of dissatisfaction with the health service since the survey began in 1983.
• Only 12% of people are satisfied with A&E waiting times, and 23% with GP waiting times.
• In 2024, only 13% of respondents said they were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ satisfied with social care. 53% of respondents were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ dissatisfied.
• The majority of the public (51%) are satisfied with the quality of NHS care. This view is more dominant in older generations, with 68% of over-65s satisfied with the quality of care compared to 47% of those under 65.
• Despite low satisfaction with the services, there remains strong majority support for the founding principles of the NHS, namely that it should “definitely or probably” be free at the point of use (90%), available to everyone (77%), and funded from general taxation (80%).

Methodology

The British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey selected a random sample of addresses from the PostCode Address File (PAF). Selected addresses were sent a letter inviting up to two adults aged 16 or over to take part in an online survey. A telephone option was provided for those either unable or unwilling to take part online. 

The 2024 survey consisted of 4,120 interviews with a representative, random sample of adults (16+) in the UK and was conducted between 16 September and 27 October 2024.

The BSA survey on health and care services is co-funded by the Nuffield Trust and the King’s Fund. The BSA is the gold standard measure of public satisfaction in the NHS with a long time series.