Most British Columbians Express Confidence in Health Care System
More than two thirds of British Columbians are confident that the health care system will be there if and when they need it, but almost half identify bureaucracy and long waiting times as its biggest challenges, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll conducted in partnership with CTV and the Globe and Mail has found.
In the online survey of a representative provincial sample of 803 British Columbian adults, two thirds of respondents (65%) believe there are some good things in health care in BC, but many changes are required. Only 18 per cent think health care in BC works well, and only minor changes are needed to make it work better, while 14 per cent say that health care in BC has so much wrong with it that we need to completely rebuild it.
Seven-in-ten British Columbians (71%) are “very confident” or “moderately confident” that they would have access to all the help from doctors and hospitals that they would need if they were to become sick, while more than a quarter (27%) are “not too confident” or “not confident at all” in the system.
Respondents who express confidence in the system primarily cite their trust in physicians and nurses (50%) and in the notion that they will get all the help they require (43%). Conversely, those who have little faith in the health care system are mainly concerned about long waiting times (77%) and cuts to services (52%).
When asked what is the biggest problem facing the health care system right now, bureaucracy and poor management is the main issue mentioned by respondents (25%), followed closely by long waiting times (23%), a perceived shortage of doctors and nurses (18%) and inadequate resources and facilities (12%). Respondents who voted for the BC Liberals in 2009 are more likely to identify bureaucracy and poor management as the biggest problem in health care than those who supported the BC New Democratic Party (NDP) (31% to 26%).
More than a quarter of respondents (27%) believe the BC NDP has the best policies to deal with issues related to health care, while 16 per cent select the BC Liberals. Less than one-in-twenty British Columbians choose the BC Conservatives (4%) or the BC Greens (2%) on this file, but more than a third (37%) are undecided.
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
Methodology: From April 19 to April 20, 2013, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 803 randomly selected British Columbia adults who are Angus Reid Forum panellists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.5%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of British Columbia. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
