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For Internal Use
Taxes and the NHS?
Ben Page, Chief Executive, Ipsos MORI
Ben.page@ipsos.com
© Ipsos MORI

2. Industrial action, reconfigurations and a rather controversial
health bill…
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
Brown becomes Cameron becomes
PM PM
80 Blair – “We have underfunded the NHS
for years and we are paying the price for
it” – BBC NHS day
70
General
Election –
60 “Battle of Hewitt heckled at UNISON
Margaret’s conference – fears over NHS
shoulder” job cuts
50
40
Lowest score
since
30 December 1985
Alan Milburn promises 35,000 more
Blair tells doctors “not enough” nurses, 40 new hospitals and
20 has been done for the NHS – development of foundation trusts as part
allocates extra £20 billion. Report of NHS plan London
says waiting lists have doubled Bombs
10 under Labour
0
May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
© Ipsos MORI

3. A country divided over its deficit
“There is a real need to cut spending on public services in order to pay off the deficit”
70
General election 2010
58 59
60
Agree 57 56
49
50 48 46
51 43 44
40
44 45
40 43
41 44
37
35
30
Disagree 32 33
20
10
0
Oct-11
Oct-09
Oct-10
Aug-09
Aug-10
Aug-11
Jun-09
Jan-10
Feb-10
Jun-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Jun-11
Jan-12
Feb-12
Jun-12
Jul-09
Apr-10
Jul-10
Apr-11
Jul-11
Apr-12
Dec-09
Nov-10
Sep-09
Nov-09
Sep-10
Dec-10
Sep-11
Nov-11
Dec-11
Mar-10
Mar-11
Mar-12
May-10
May-11
May-12
Base: c. British adults 18+ each month Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor
© Ipsos MORI

4. Want to protect some services from cuts.....
Q. “If the overall level of public spending is going to be reduced as part of the process of
reducing borrowing and rebalancing the public finances, should spending on some services
be protected from cuts even if that means bigger rises in taxation and/or deeper cuts in other
areas of public spending, or should no services be protected from cuts?”
June 2009 Nov 2012
Don’t know Don’t know
Yes, protect some Yes, protect some
No, do not protect 4% services No, do not protect services
any services
6%
77% any services
79%
20% 15%
Base: 1,006 British adults aged 18+, interviewed by telephone, 22-25 November 2012 Source: Ipsos MORI/Nuffield Trust
© Ipsos MORI

5. NHS is the most sacred cow
Q. “Which TWO or THREE, if any, of the following main areas of public
spending do you think should be protected from any cuts?”
Change from
June ‘09
The NHS/health care 79 -3
Schools 51 -7
Care for the elderly 51 +5
The Police 39 +4
Social services 21 +6
Benefit payments 10 +2
Local authority services 10 +4
Defence 9 -4
Overseas aid 4 -1
None of these * 0
Don't know 1 0
Base: All who think some services should be protected (809) Source: Ipsos MORI/Nuffield Trust
© Ipsos MORI

6. Most now think we have to limit spending
Q On the whole, do you agree or disagree with the following statement:
There should always be limits on what is spent on the NHS
Don’t know Strongly agree
4% 2006 2012
Strongly disagree 11%
14% Agree 44% 58%
Disagree 48% 39%
25% 47%
Tend to disagree Tend to agree
Base: 1,015 Adults aged 16+ in England, May 2012
Source: Ipsos MORI/DH Perceptions of the NHS Tracker 2012
1,001 Adults aged 18+ in Great Britain, January 2006 Ipsos MORI/NICE Public attitudes research 2006
© Ipsos MORI

7. Willing to pay more tax?
Q. “Many experts argue that it is becoming more expensive to fund the NHS because of increasing
costs of treatments, an ageing population and several other factors. This means that even in order to
maintain the current level of care and services provided for free by the NHS, spending on the NHS
would have to increase. With that in mind, which, if any, of the following would you most like to see?”
Don’t know
8%
None
11%
Reduce the level of care and Increase taxes in order to
services provided by the NHS so that maintain the level of spending
you do not need to increase the current 11% 48% needed to keep the current
level of taxation and spending on the level of care and services
NHS provided by the NHS
Reduce spending on other services
such as education and welfare in order 21%
to maintain the level of spending needed
to keep the current level of care and
services provided by the NHS
Base: 1,006 British adults aged 18+, interviewed by telephone, 22-25 November 2012 Source: Ipsos MORI/Nuffield Trust
© Ipsos MORI

8. The challenge for politicians
and leaders
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