Europeans want better access to digital healthcare and more investment in wellbeing, says new poll

The Healthy Europe survey also finds people in France, Germany and Belgium ready to make lifestyle changes to protect the environment.

Brussels, Belgium; 17 October 2022 – A new poll of more than 3,000 Europeans has shown how people’s attitudes to health are being affected by economic changes, the environment, and digitalisation.

The survey – conducted on behalf of All Policies for a Healthy Europe (Healthy Europe), a cross-sectoral coalition of NGOs, think-tanks, associations, and corporations – found people demanding more government action to improve digital access to healthcare, improve living standards, and tackle environmental damage.

While a majority of people in Belgium and France were satisfied with access to digital healthcare services, less than half of people in Germany agreed. People in Belgium and France also said they were more comfortable in anonymously sharing their personal data for health research compared to people in Germany.

Older people aged 65 and over, stated their dissatisfaction with access to digital healthcare, highlighting a healthcare ‘digital divide’ among Europeans. Over 65s also showed less knowledge of the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, with only 44% of all citizens stating that they know a little or a lot about the use of AI.

All Europeans said that living standards are the most important factor in measuring a society’s wealth, above education and social inequality, but only one in three of those surveyed think government financial investment in improving societal wellbeing is sufficient.

Over half of those surveyed think health will continue to be a political priority for the European Union, with the highest proportions in France and Germany, but fewer than a quarter are aware of key EU projects such as the Beating Cancer Plan.​

On the environment and the green transition, over 70% of respondents said that pollution impacts their personal health and more than 80% think that that every individual has a role in mitigating pollution. More than half of respondents stated their willingness to make some lifestyle changes to protect the environment, with more than a quarter of people from France saying they were prepared to make a lot of changes.

Commenting on the results, our coalition Chair, Vytenis Andriukaitis said,

“These results show that the holistic consideration of health and well-being across the three main policy areas, which are core pillars of the coalition, can support the realization of a European Health Union.

“The results also highlight the need to raise awareness of Healthy Europe’s mission to promote cross-sectoral collaboration for a ‘health in all policies’ approach in EU policymaking. In this sense, EU-level governance of public health and well-being will be able to drive sustainable, balanced, and inclusive development for a resilient Europe.”

Savanta led a survey among adults in France (1,125), Germany (1,092) and Belgium (1,027) to better understand how policies and initiatives in European healthcare relating to the environment, the economy and digitalisation affect citizens and their actions.

The survey results were weighted by age, gender, and region to be nationally representative of each market, and are organised according to the three aforementioned sectors.

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About All Policies for a Healthy Europe
Created in 2018, All Policies for a Healthy Europe is a cross-sectoral coalition of NGOs, think-tanks, trade associations and businesses. We advocate for health and wellbeing to be put at the heart of European policymaking. The diverse mix of multisectoral stakeholders brings a unique perspective to the health and wellbeing debate, pushing for increased awareness of the broader economic and social dimension to health issues.

For more info and a copy of the manifesto, please go to www.healthyeurope.eu or contact: healthyeurope@political-intelligence.com