Table 3.

The 10 policy proposals which participants regarded as least likely to reduce health inequalities, based on the three criteria in Box 1.

Question from Box 1	Policy proposal	% disagree/strongly disagree	Total no. who answered question
Row A - 1. ‘expert opinion’	• Continue to invest in population-wide health promotion campaigns such as Change4Life*	63.89	36
	• Implement ‘poverty mentoring’ schemes, where people in high status positions spend time with people who live in poverty	44.44	36
	• Legislate for smoke-free homes	40.00	35
	• Target long-lasting contraceptives at young women in deprived communities	37.84	37
	• Introduce a cap on public sector salaries	37.50	40
	• Introduce standarized packaging of alcohol products (i.e. remove branding)	34.21	38
	• Implement guidance on stress management and the effective promotion of wellbeing and physical and mental health at work	34.15	41
	• Increase overall NHS spending	31.58	38
	• Include socio-economic status as a protected characteristic of equalities legislation	30.77	39
	• Hypothecate (earmark/ringfence) portions of taxes on health-damaging products (e.g. tobacco, alcohol and petrol) for investment in health improvement, especially in poorer areas	30.00	40
Row B - 2. ‘strongly supported by available evidence’	• Continue to invest in population-wide health promotion campaigns such as Change4Life*	71.43	35
	• Provide subsidized fuel or fuel supplements for those on the lowest incomes to address fuel poverty*	53.85	39
	• Legislate for smoke-free homes	44.12	34
	• Implement ‘poverty mentoring’ schemes, where people in high status positions spend time with people who live in poverty	44.12	34
	• Target long-lasting contraceptives at young women in deprived communities	43.24	37
	• Introduce a cap on public sector salaries	42.50	40
	• Introduce a cap on the wealth that any one individual can inherit	41.03	39
	• Tax capital gains at the same rate as income tax	35.90	39
	• Require the highest paid employees of a company to earn no > 20 times the salary of the lowest paid employees	35.90	39
	• Introduce a national maximum income for all (including bonuses)	35.90	39
Row C - 3. ‘appropriate policy recommendation for the health inequalities research community to make’	• Continue to invest in population-wide health promotion campaigns such as Change4Life*	63.89	36
	• Legislate for smoke-free homes*	54.29	35
	• Target long-lasting contraceptives at young women in deprived communities*	51.35	37
	• Introduce a national maximum income for all (including bonuses)	42.50	40
	• Require fee-paying (private) schools to allocate at least 50% of their places for non-fee paying children living in deprived communities	40.54	37
	• Introduce a cap on the wealth that any one individual can inherit	40.00	40
	• Introduce a cap on public sector salaries	39.02	41
	• Implement ‘poverty mentoring’ schemes, where people in high status positions spend time with people who live in poverty	38.89	36
	• Increase overall NHS spending	36.84	38
	• Increase taxes on petrol	36.59	41