Views on the quality and cost of healthcare vary greatly among
residents in the United States, Great Britain, and Canada,
according to Gallup Polls* recently conducted in those countries. A
majority of Canadians (61%) and nearly half of Britons (48%) are
either "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with the availability of
affordable healthcare in their countries. However, in the United
States, the only country of the three that does not have a publicly
funded healthcare system, less than a third of residents (27%) are
satisfied with the availability of affordable healthcare.
Americans also rate the quality of healthcare in their
country lower than Britons or Canadians do. A slight majority of
Americans (51%) are currently either very or somewhat
dissatisfied with the quality of medical care in the
United States, while just 48% are satisfied. In Canada and Great
Britain, the reverse is true. Fifty-five percent of Canadians are
satisfied with the quality of medical care in the nation and 43%
are dissatisfied. Fifty-eight percent of British adults are
satisfied, while 41% are dissatisfied.
In Great Britain, satisfaction with the quality of medical care
has increased substantially in the last year -- from 46% in
February/March 2003 to 58% in April/May 2004. Satisfaction with the
availability of affordable healthcare has also increased slightly
among British adults, from 43% to 48%. These increases coincide
with increases in satisfaction with several other aspects of life
in Great Britain.
Age Differences
In Canada, there is a distinct age gap among people's views
about the availability of affordable healthcare. Seventy-two
percent of Canadians under the age of 30 are satisfied, compared
with just 50% of those aged 65 and older. In the United States, the
age gap is less distinct, but those under 30 are more likely to
express satisfaction than those aged 30 or older. In Great Britain,
the oldest and youngest are similarly satisfied: 53% of those aged
18 to 34 are satisfied, as are 50% of those 65 and older. However,
Britons between the ages of 35 and 64 are somewhat less satisfied
than those in the youngest or oldest groups: 44% of those aged 35
to 64 are satisfied.
In the United States and Canada, 18- to 29-year-olds are the
most satisfied with the quality of medical care in their
countries. In the United States, 61% of 18- to 29-year-olds are
satisfied, compared with 45% of those 30 to 49, 42% of 50- to
64-year-olds, and 49% of those 65 and older. Among Canadians, 67%
of those aged 18 to 29 are satisfied with the quality of care,
compared with 54% of those aged 30 to 49, 49% of those 50 to 64,
and 54% of those 65 and older. Britons' response patterns on this
question are similar to those for the question on affordability:
The oldest and youngest Britons are equally satisfied, while the
35- to 64-year-olds are less satisfied than the younger or older
groups.
Bottom Line
U.S. adults are now far less sanguine about the current state of
healthcare in their nation than are Britons or Canadians. However,
a key provision of the Medicare reform package being implemented in
the United States -- the distribution of prescription drug discount
cards for Medicare recipients -- went into effect last week. While
this reform should provide some relief for American seniors, it
remains to be seen whether this and other Medicare changes will
alter Americans' relatively low opinions of their medical system in
the years to come.
*Results in the United States are based on telephone
interviews with 1,004 national adults, aged 18 and older,
conducted Jan. 12-15, 2004. For results based on the total sample
of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the
maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.
The survey was conducted by Gallup USA.
Results in Canada are based on telephone interviews with
1,003 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted April 28-May 4,
2004. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one
can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling
error is ±3 percentage points. The survey was conducted by
Gallup Canada.
Results in Great Britain are based on telephone interviews
with 1,018 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted April
29-May 12, 2004. For results based on the total sample of national
adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of
sampling error is ±3 percentage points. The survey was
conducted by Gallup UK.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and
practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or
bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
