The Big Conversation on Care is the latest attempt to fix England’s broken social care system. Getting a handle on this issue has been attempted no fewer than 22 times since the 1990s – but Prime Minister Andy Burnham has vowed that this time they’ll find the right answers. But what might these be – and will the tough choices on how to pay for it lose Labour votes?

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Public are confused – but clear that the state should pay

Anthony Kevins, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Studies

Any discussion of attitudes on social care in England must begin with two observations: people are not happy with the status quo, but they also don’t really understand how the current system works or how it is funded. This is a tricky starting point, since it makes it difficult to assess how much public support there would be for any proposed reforms.

What does seem clear however, is that most people want the state to share the cost of social care with users. Support for full state coverage for everyone is relatively low, and even fewer people believe that users should have to cover costs on their own.

So how might the public want that new spending to be financed? My research suggests a hierarchy of preferred funding options, ranging from council tax – the least popular option – to a wealth tax on people with assets worth more than £1 million – the most popular option. Increases in inheritance tax and national insurance contributions were relatively unpopular. And an income tax rise on higher earners was second only to wealth taxes in popularity.

As always though, the devil will be in the detail of the funding plan. It’s unlikely that any mechanism will avoid at least a little backlash.

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For the full article by Dr Anthony Kevins visit the Conversation.

ENDS