Minimum pricing for alcohol is toxic, says new poll
London (PRWEB UK) 8 October 2013 -- Minimum pricing for alcohol is the least popular measure the government could take to improve public health, according to a national poll conducted by mruk research. Offered a range of measures, only 6% of respondents would prioritise alcohol pricing, whereas 37% would prioritise increasing cigarette tax whilst 14% would prefer a tax on unhealthy, high fat foods.
With politicians and health services looking at effective ways to improve public health and curb anti-social behaviour, this poll provides further evidence that there is little public appetite for pricing action on alcohol. Rachel Cope, Head of mruk research, commented, “Whilst almost everyone recognises the impact of smoking on health, that’s not the case with moderate alcohol consumption. If there’s no perceived impact on health then people see minimum pricing as just another tax.”
Despite minimum alcohol pricing being passed in Scotland and under debate in the rest of the UK, the policy has run into effective resistance from the public and an organised drinks lobby. mruk’s poll suggests it would be ineffective as well as unpopular.
The online poll was conducted among a representative sample of 1,058 adults from across the UK. It asked the public to imagine they were the Chancellor of the Exchequer and needed to help the NHS save money. They then chose the options they felt would best do this.
Rachel Cope, mruk, http://www.mruk.co.uk, +44 2076277771, [email protected]
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