People across Wales remain satisfied with public services and with their daily lives, according to the latest results from the National Survey for Wales.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
The new wide-ranging National Survey for Wales 2016-17 provides a fresh picture of the levels of wellbeing and satisfaction with public services in Wales and the issues facing local communities. The results show 82% of people in Wales are overall generally satisfied with their lives.
The National Survey for Wales is a face-to-face survey of over 10,000 randomly-selected adults aged 16 and over, carried out across Wales. The results are used by the Welsh Government to help make Wales a better place to live.
The survey began in its original form in 2012. From 2016-17 onwards it replaces the Welsh Health Survey, the Arts in Wales Survey, the Welsh Outdoor Recreation Survey and the Active Adults Survey.
Key results from the National Survey 2016-17 include:
- 90% were satisfied with their GP care, 91% were satisfied with the care they received at their last NHS appointment and 96% of hospital patients felt treated with dignity and respect.
- 90% of parents were satisfied with their child’s primary school and 85% with their child’s secondary school
- 70% rated their experience of social care as either excellent or good
- 66% were able to keep up with all bills and commitments without difficulty
- 73% felt that people in their local area treated each other with respect and consideration
- 48% feel optimistic about the future
- 80% visited the outdoors in the last twelve months
- 62% walk or cycle to get around
- 85% of people use the internet.
Welcoming the results, Finance and Local Government Secretary Mark Drakeford said:
“This new wide-ranging survey provides us with a fresh picture of public services and the experiences of people using them and their lives more generally.
“This survey has been taken against the backdrop of uncertainty following the Brexit referendum result and the UK government’s continued austerity programme.
“Despite this, the results published today show that people in Wales are generally satisfied with the public services that are so important to us all.
“We know there are difficult times to come with our public finances and we all need to prepare for these challenges. The findings of this survey are very timely and will help us all ensure we are able to deliver the world class services people rightly expect.
“Hearing the views of people across the country will help us make Wales an even better place to live, work and enjoy.”