Health & Medical Research Public Opinion Poll 2005

Research Australia’s fourth annual Health and Medical Research Public Opinion Poll, conducted by Crosby|Textor, combined two focus groups of 9–10 participants held in June 2005 with an online survey of an effective sample of 628 Australians aged 18 and over, fielded between 6 and 15 July 2005 with quotas for gender, age and area. Seventy-eight per cent strongly agreed that medical and health research should play an important role in Australia’s future, on a par with education, and 82% rated more funding for health and medical research an important priority for the Federal Government, the sixth highest of 22 listed priorities. Cancer was the health issue most often nominated for a significant increase in research funding (64%), ahead of heart disease. Fifty-seven per cent believed Commonwealth research funding, then about 0.12% of GDP, should be much more, and half preferred surplus government funds go to health and medical research rather than a tax cut (23%). Eighty-four per cent agreed Australians should have access to the latest medicines, devices and treatments even if this meant higher taxes or redirected spending, and the same proportion agreed large corporations should donate to research. Seventy-three per cent supported tax incentives for multinational biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to conduct research and development in Australia, and 67% strongly agreed that a lack of funding means Australian discoveries are often commercially developed by other countries. Support was generally strongest among women and older Australians.