Evolving attitudes towards cancer screening: a 2024 update of UK population views

This study assessed current population views about cancer screening in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, screening programme changes and new technological advances.

UK adults (aged $\ge$ 18 years), recruited via the online platform, Prolific, completed a questionnaire about their views on cancer screening, using eight questions from a 2012 survey (weighted for age and sex, n = 603). We summarised participants' views, explored associations with participant characteristics using logistic regression and compared 2024 and 2012 responses using Chi-square tests.

Public enthusiasm for cancer screening in the UK remained high with 93% believing routine screening is almost always beneficial, supported by strong beliefs that finding cancer early means treatment saves lives. Awareness of slow-growing cancers was modest at 51% but has increased since 2012. Nevertheless, most participants still wanted testing for slow-growing and untreatable cancer. Some believed they had received too few screening tests, particularly men, people from ethnic minority backgrounds and those with higher educational attainment.

Our study showed that public appetite for screening persists even as awareness of slow-growing cancers increases, reflecting not only possible knowledge gaps but also trust, values and optimism about future treatments. Future research should explore these factors to support truly informed screening decisions.