New Zealanders' attitudes to health care policy

A fully national sample of over 1,000 New Zealanders were questioned about their attitudes to various health care policy issues. In general terms there was greater support for a publicly-provided health care system than for a privatized free market approach. Almost half the respondents were agreeable to a tax increase so as to improve public health care provision and a similar proportion were against it. Advertising by doctors to increase competition between them was supported by only 33 per cent of the sample. However, the need for more information about doctors' performance was expressed by 49 per cent. On the subject of priorities between high technology and low technology medical expenditure, the sample was fairly evenly divided with almost 40 per cent of the sample favouring each option. There were some differences between various sectors of the population in the attitudes held. In general terms, those with the greatest need for health care and those with the least financial resources were more strongly in favour of public provision.