Table 2.
The results of the second stage of the survey, in which participants were asked to distribute 100 points according to the policy proposals they felt would be likely to have the greatest impact on reducing health inequalities in the UK
| Policy proposal | Mean point for all participants (rank by this measure) | Number of participants who allocated points to the policy (rank by this measure) |
|---|---|---|
| • Review and implement more progressive systems of taxation, benefits, pensions and tax credits that provide greater support for people at the lower end of the social gradient and do more to reduce inequalities in wealth | 17.4 (1) | 75 (1) |
| • Develop and implement a minimum income for healthy living | 10.1 (2) | 62 (=4) |
| • Increase the proportion of overall government expenditure allocated to the early years and ensure this expenditure is focused progressively across the social gradient | 7.5 (3) | 56 (8) |
| • Increase social protection for those on the lowest incomes and provide more flexible income and welfare support for those moving in and out of work (‘flexicurity’) | 6.8 (4) | 62 (=4) |
| • Support an enhanced home building program and invest in decent social housing to bring down housing costs | 6.5 (5) | 63 (3) |
| • Invest more resources in state-funded education, with additional investments for schools serving more deprived communities | 6.3 (=6) | 65 (2) |
| • Introduce policies which intensively focus on improving literacy among primary school children in deprived areas through one-to-one teaching for those with low reading scores | 6.3 (=6) | 58 (6) |
| • Invest more resources in active labour market programmes to reduce long-term unemployment | 5.7 (8) | 57 (7) |
| • Invest more resources in support for vulnerable populations, by providing better homeless services, mental health services etc. | 5.1 (=9) | 52 (=10) |
| • Implement measures to protect the policy process and decision-making from interference by relevant commercial sector interests (e.g., alcohol, tobacco and ultra-processed food manufacturers and retailers) | 5.1 (=9) | 53 (9) |
| • Invest more resources in primary care health services serving very deprived areas | 4.5 (=11) | 52 (=10) |
| • Increase the national minimum wage | 4.5 (=11) | 49 (12) |
| • Maintenance (and improvement) of the NHS in a recognizable form | 3.3 (13) | 39 (13) |
| • Introduce a minimum price for alcohol products via minimum unit pricing | 2.6 (14) | 37 (14) |
| • Increase the price of tobacco products via tax increases | 1.7 (15) | 34 (=15) |
| • Reduce the availability of tobacco products (both legal and illicit) | 1.7 (16) | 34 (=15) |
| • Provide stop-smoking services with additional targeting within poorer communities | 1.4 (17) | 28 (18) |
| • Reduce speeds in urban areas, starting with the poorest areas (20 m.p.h. is plenty) | 1.4 (18) | 31 (17) |
| • Introduce standardized packaging of tobacco products (i.e. remove branding) | 1.1 (19) | 26 (19) |
| • Fluoridate domestic water supplies (where this is not already done) | 1.0 (20) | 25 (20) |