Quality of life measures should replace GDP as UK priority, public says in poll

More than eight in 10 Britons believe health and well-being more important than economic growth, according to survey

A sign painted on the road reading "Thank You NHS" outside Alder Hey Hospital on May 10, 2020 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Clive Brunskill/Getty)

More than 80 per cent of Britons think the UK should prioritise health and well-being over economic growth, according to a new poll.

The online poll, commissioned by the campaign group Positive Money and conducted by YouGov, asked 2,061 adults what the UK should prioritise during the Covid-19 pandemic.

While 12 per cent of respondents chose economic growth as the UK’s key concern, 82 per cent said the population’s health and well-being was of greater importance.

The remaining 7 per cent said they were unsure about which of the considerations should rank higher.

Respondents were also asked whether the UK should put more emphasis on economic growth or improved social and environmental outcomes, including life expectancy, reduced carbon emissions and education, once the coronavirus crisis has subsided.

More than 60 per cent of them thought that improved social and environmental outcomes were more important than economic growth, while fewer than a third believed the opposite. And 8 per cent were unsure.

The result of the YouGov poll comes shortly before the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes its first estimate of GDP growth for the first three months of the year on Wednesday.

It will likely show the significant effect of the lockdown on the UK economy.

Fran Boait, executive director of Positive Money, believes the ONS should not pay undue prominence to GDP statistics at the expense of other indicators.

Citing the result of the YouGov poll, Ms Boait said: “The government must not be tempted to pursue policies that would boost GDP at the expense of lives, wellbeing and the environment.

“With the coronavirus crisis hitting after a decade of anaemic economic growth, we are heading towards a ‘post-growth’ economy whether we like it or not. We have a choice of whether this will mean mass unemployment, deepening inequality and lower quality of life for all, or whether we want to ensure that people are able to live longer, happier lives while avoiding catastrophic climate collapse."

Positive Money published a report on Monday called the “Tragedy of Growth”, which urges the ONS to stop publishing GDP statistics and instead place greater emphasis on a wider range of social and environmental factors.