PUBLIC-ATTITUDES TOWARDS GOVERNMENT SPENDING ON HEALTH-CARE

One of the most vigorously debated topics in the area of health care i s the proportion of health care costs that should be borne by the gove rnment, rather than by the individual. Using nationally representative data, the views of Australian citizens on this issue are explored. Th e findings suggest that the majority of Australians favour increased s pending on health by the government. Multiple regression analyses indi cate that in addition to various socio-demographic factors, political partisanship and political efficacy are strong, significant predictors of attitudes towards health spending by the government. The policy im plications of these findings are discussed.