The Poles are the most concerned about healthcare while the German are the biggest worriers overall.
A recent study has highlighted residents’ concerns for healthcare in several European countries. The highest percentage of people who think the health service is the most urgent issue to be resolved were in Poland, where a quarter (24%) are worried about their health system.
The Challenges in Europe 2013 study from market research group GfK asked over 13,000 people in 12 European countries: “In your opinion, what are the most important issues that need to be resolved in [relevant country] today?”
The UK came second, with 17 percent of people believing the health system to be the most pressing issue to be resolved in the country. This is after high profile media coverage of the decline of the National Health Service and proposals to charge foreigners to access healthcare in the country.
People living in countries suffering the most economically, such as Spain and Italy, are most worried about unemployment, unsurprisingly. The health service in Spain was the most urgent concern for 14 percent of people surveyed, this equals the Netherlands. Only 9 percent of people in Italy see healthcare as a serious problem.
Austria, Germany and France have the most relaxed residents when it comes to healthcare. Only seven percent named it as their greatest concern, unemployment is the biggest worry for people in these countries.
Overall the Germans are the greatest worriers, with each person thinking of 2.5 problems compared to the average of two problems per person. Ireland and Sweden seem to be the most laid-back with each respondent citing only 1.2 concerns on average.
Europe-wide, health was the fourth biggest concern behind unemployment, inflation and economic stability. Environmental worries such as global warming, or security risks and terrorism didn’t make it into the top 10 concerns.