Two-in-five British Columbians say a shortage of doctors and nurses is the biggest problem facing the system right now.
Vancouver, BC [December 15, 2023] – The proportion of British Columbians who are ready to explore different options in health care has grown over the past year, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 46% of British Columbians say they would be willing to pay out of their own pocket to have quicker access to medical services that currently have long waiting times, up six points since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in September 2022.
Just under two-in-five British Columbians (38%, +5) would consider travelling to another country to have quicker access to medical services that currently have long waiting times.
“Just over half of British Columbians aged 18-to-34 (51%) would consider paying for specific medical services,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Almost half (46%) are willing to travel abroad to access them.”
In September 2020, a B.C. Supreme Court justice ruled that access to private health care is not a constitutional right, even if wait times for care under the public system are too long.
Almost half of British Columbians (49%, =) disagree with the decision of the B.C. Supreme Court justice, while more than a third (36%, -1) agree and 15% (+1) are undecided.
Most British Columbians (55%, +5) think there are some good things in the province’s health care system, but some changes are required. Three-in-ten (30%, -1) say health care in the province has so much wrong with it that we need to completely rebuild it, while one-in-ten (10%, -3) believe health care in the province works well, and only minor changes are needed to make it work better.
Two-in-five British Columbians (40%, -10) identify a shortage of doctors and nurses as the biggest problem facing the health care system right now, followed by long waiting times (22%, +4). Only two other issues reach double digits: bureaucracy and poor management (12%, +2) and inadequate resources and facilities (10%, +3).
Residents of Vancouver Island (54%) and Southern BC (50%) are more likely to select a shortage of doctors and nurses as the most pressing health care concern than their counterparts in the Fraser Valley (44%), Northern BC (41%) and Metro Vancouver (35%).
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from November 9 to November 11, 2023, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
Photo Credit: waferboard
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca