Table 3.
Public attitudes in four countries about government decision-making about costs of medical interventions (in per cent)
| Germany (n=500), % (95% CI) | Italy (n=500), % (95% CI) | UK (n=500), % (95% CI) | USA (n=1017), % (95% CI) | |
| Favour/oppose (your country) having a government decision-making body that recommends whether government programmes should pay for/provide (prescription drugs/medical or surgical treatments) if they think they cost too much | ||||
| Favour | 71 (66 to 76) | 69 (64 to 74) | 46 (40 to 51) | 43 (39 to 47) |
| Oppose | 21 (17 to 25) | 23 (18 to 27) | 48 (42 to 53) | 54 (50 to 58) |
| Such a government decision-making body would provide doctors with useful scientific information about what works best for patients with a given disease or medical condition | ||||
| Yes | 64 (59 to 69) | 87 (84 to 90) | 67 (62 to 73) | 55 (51 to 59) |
| No | 27 (22 to 31) | 7 (5 to 9) | 27 (23 to 32) | 40 (36 to 43) |
| Trust the national government to make the right healthcare decisions | ||||
| Trust | 42 (37 to 47) | 54 (49 to 59) | 54 (49 to 59) | 34 (30 to 38) |
| Do not trust | 53 (48 to 58) | 35 (30 to 40) | 39 (34 to 44) | 61 (57 to 65) |
| Don't know/refused | 5 (3 to 7) | 11 (8 to 14) | 7 (4 to 10) | 4 (3 to 5) |
Source: Harvard School of Public Health/Alliance for Aging Research Survey, 2011.
‘Don't know/refused’ responses not shown unless they are 10% or greater for the question in one or more countries.