Public Opinion Poll on Health & Medical Research & Innovation 2021

Research Australia’s 2021 opinion poll, its second conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, examined how the pandemic has affected public attitudes to health and medical research, government funding priorities and giving. Roy Morgan Research surveyed 1,008 Australians aged 18 and over online through its proprietary panel between 19 and 27 July 2021, with results weighted by age, sex and area (response rate 3.9%; maximum sampling tolerance ±3.1%). More funding for health and medical research rose to third among priorities for Australian Government spending, and 38.7% said they now regard such funding as more important than before the pandemic; 39.7% reported greater interest in research. Support for basic research was strong, and more than three quarters would share de-identified health information to advance medical research. Nearly half would agree to join a clinical trial, compared with 56% in 2017, while more than four in ten wanted more information first. Support for vaccination remained high but was slightly below 2019 levels. Respondents favoured more trained staff, modernised facilities and research to improve aged care. More than three quarters were confident contributing opinions to research funding decisions, 93.8% saw a role for technology in managing their health, and nearly 15% of non-donors said they were now more likely to donate.