Support for NHS principles has declined in Britain over five years — The Guardian

In the United Kingdom, support for the key principles of the National Health Service (NHS) declined between 2021 and 2025: services being free of charge, availability to everyone, and funding through taxes. This was reported by The Guardian, citing an analysis of British Social Attitudes survey data conducted by the King’s Fund think tank.

Overall, support for the NHS’s three principles decreased, although support for funding the service through taxes rose slightly among millennials. Analysts examined the views of members of Generation Z, millennials, Generation X, baby boomers and people born before the Second World War.

Support for availability to everyone

The share of those who believe that the NHS should be available to everyone declined most noticeably. Among respondents born before the Second World War, this figure fell from 87.1% in 2021 to 73.2% in 2025 — a decrease of 13.9 percentage points. Among baby boomers, support dropped from 83.1% to 71.2%.

The idea that NHS services should be free to use is also supported by fewer people, although it is still approved by between 85% and 92% of respondents, depending on the age group.

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Differences between generations

The King’s Fund described the identified trend as a generational divide in attitudes towards NHS funding. Among Generation Z representatives, support for tax funding of the service fell by 11.2 percentage points over five years — more than among Generation X, baby boomers and older respondents. In 2025, 74.1% of Generation Z representatives supported this approach, compared with at least 80% in the other groups.

Danielle Jefferies, a senior analyst at the King’s Fund, suggested that economic difficulties, high housing costs, student debt, wage stagnation and long waits for medical care may have influenced the shift in attitudes. She also noted that changes in public attitudes towards migration may be linked to declining confidence that the NHS should be available to everyone.

NHS Alliance chief executive Kieran Devane called any weakening of support a cause for concern, while stressing that even among Generation Z, the current funding model is still supported by a majority.