Support for private health-care options has grown since start of pandemic: survey
Global News
Mount Royal University professor Lori Williams says it's important to look at what questions are being asked, how they're phrased and if context is being provided.
A new survey says Canadians are more open to private health-care options than they were before the pandemic, but a policy expert stresses context is everything when it comes to public opinion on the health system.
SecondStreet think tank partnered with Leger to poll Canadians on their feelings about health-care access during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly how they feel about private health services.
“When the pandemic emerged in Canada, we saw governments postpone hundreds of thousands of surgeries,” said SecondStreet.org president Colin Craig. “I think maybe that caused some Canadians to spend a bit more time looking at health-care reform options that could improve outcomes for patients.”
But Mount Royal University policy studies associate professor Lori Williams says it’s important to look at what questions are being asked, how they’re phrased and in what order they’re asked.
“Much depends on the way in which the survey is conducted,” she said.
SecondStreet said the survey found that the majority of Canadians polled support governments hiring private health providers to reduce wait times, increasing the choices available to patients and improving accountability in the health-care system.
Leger surveyed 1,525 Canadians between Nov. 26 and 29.
The poll found:
