Satisfaction With Healthcare Access Lacking in Spain, Italy

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Before the COVID-19 pandemic stretched even some of the best healthcare systems in Europe to their breaking point, majorities of adults living in the European countries hardest hit by the virus were largely satisfied with the access to quality healthcare in their communities. But the sizable segments in each country who were dissatisfied with access to quality care over the past few years suggest weaknesses or gaps existed in their systems before the pandemic -- at least from the public's perspective.

In a number of European countries caught in the current coronavirus crossfire, satisfaction with the availability of quality healthcare between 2016 and 2019 was at least at a majority level, ranging from a high of 84% in Germany to a low of 51% in Italy.

	Satisfied	Dissatisfied
	%	%
Germany	84	15
United Kingdom	76	22
France	74	25
Spain	68	31
Italy	51	48
Gallup World Poll, 2016-2019

More telling are the relatively high percentages in Spain and Italy who were dissatisfied with the availability of quality healthcare where they live. Nearly half of Italians (48%) and more than three in 10 in Spain (31%) reported being dissatisfied with access to quality care. A look at the regions within these countries shows that perceptions about healthcare also greatly depend on where people live.

While satisfaction with access to quality healthcare is comparatively high in Italy's northern regions -- where the majority of the country's current COVID-19 cases reside -- satisfaction is extremely low in the country's south and islands, a potentially ominous warning about their medical preparedness as the virus moves southward. In the southern regions and islands of Italy, three out of every five people were dissatisfied with the availability of quality healthcare.

	Satisfied	Dissatisfied
	%	%
North West	62	37
North East	61	38
Centre	50	48
Islands	38	60
South	37	62
Gallup World Poll, 2016-2019

In Spain, dissatisfaction with available healthcare is relatively evenly spread across the country's regions. While no one region stands out in satisfaction, in terms of population density, the communities near Madrid are the most populous. When one compares the Madrid area to the northern parts of Italy -- home to major cities like Milan, Turin, Genoa and Venice -- it is evident that the populous Italian regions fare worse than the Spanish capital in regard to satisfaction with available healthcare.

	Satisfied	Dissatisfied
	%	%
Community of Madrid	71	29
South	70	29
North-West	69	31
East	68	31
North-East	66	32
The Canaries	64	35
Centre	62	37
Gallup World Poll, 2016-2019

Bottom Line

Western leaders and health organizations are painting a grim picture of the impact COVID-19 will have on their populations and economies. Access to healthcare is important in the best of times, but right now it is life or death, with healthcare systems in hardest-hit countries teetering on the brink of collapse. Gaps in availability of care are only magnified in a health crisis, even in countries with strong healthcare systems.

In coming weeks, Gallup will continue to look at people's satisfaction with the care available to them across the rest of the globe.

For complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review Gallup's Country Data Set details.

Learn more about how the Gallup World Poll works.