Populus Poll

Health

• Three in five (59%) Saga respondents agree that hospitals are wrong to charge patients and visitors for parking, one in four (27%) agree that hospitals are right to charge for parking.
• 55% of respondents say that parking charges would not affect their likelihood to visit somebody in hospital.
• One in five (22%) feel that parking charges would make them less likely to visit. A third (33%) think parking charges would impact their visit, either by reducing the regularity (18%) or by reducing the amount of time (14%) they would spend visiting somebody in hospital.

Drinking habits

• Three quarters (73%) of Saga respondents have consumed alcohol in the last week. Men are more likely to have consumed alcohol than women (79% vs. 66% respectively).
• Of those that have consumed alcohol within the last week, respondents drank an average of 4 units on the most recent occasion. Male respondents are likely to have consumed more units than female respondents (5 units vs. 3 units respectively).
• On average, Saga respondents feel that 5 or more units of alcohol consumed in one session would be excessive. Men are more likely than women to cite a higher number of units as excessive (6 units vs. 4 units respectively).

Travel

• 16% of Saga respondents report traveling in the last 5 years without taking out travel insurance. Of those that report traveling without insurance, most travelled within the UK (79%), a third (34%) travelled to Europe, and 8% outside of Europe.
• Among those that report traveling without insurance 43% say that it was because they were travelling within the UK. 16% did not take out travel insurance as they had a European Health Insurance Card, 14% felt it was unlikely they would need it, and 6% either never take out travel insurance or felt it was too expensive.
• Those travelling without insurance in the last 5 years are most likely to have either stayed in a hotel (42%) or visited family (40%). A third (34%) have taken a UK short break, 27% a self-catered holiday and 18% a city break. The least common type of trip to take without insurance is a river cruise (1%) or singles holiday (1%).

Financial goals

• Nine in ten Saga respondents (89%) say that being able to maintain their standard of living throughout their retirement is an important financial goal. 80% feel that being able to afford to retire is also an important financial goal. Four fifths (79%) think it is important to be able to afford to travel in their retirement.
• Paying for their children’s weddings (28%) and affording private healthcare (26%) are seen as the least important financial goals.
• Four in five Saga respondents (83%) think they are likely to achieve their financial goals. Men are more likely than women to say they have achieved these goals already (40% vs 29% respectively). 15% think that they will not achieve their financial goals later in life.
• Pensions (86%) and savings (76%) are the most common ways Saga respondents plan to fund their financial goals in retirement. Under half (46%) plan to use investments, or their property holdings (37%). The least common ways of funding financial goals are earnings (13%) or inheritance (10%).

General Elections

• Half (51%) of Saga respondents plan to vote for the Conservative Party at the General Election. 13% say they will vote for the Labour Party, 8% for the Liberal Democrats, 2% for the Green Party and 1% for UKIP. One quarter (24%) of Scottish respondents plan to vote for the SNP, and 8% of Welsh respondents for Plaid Cymru. 19% are unsure of who they will vote for, or whether they will vote and 2% do not intend to vote.
• Of those who do not intend to vote, 18% do not have any strong feelings towards any one party. 16% never vote, 13% won’t vote as a protest and 11% feel their vote would not make a difference.
• Three quarters of Saga respondents (75%) feel that there should not be another referendum on independence in Scotland. Fewer, though still a majority (71%) of Scottish respondents also feel that there should not be another referendum. 16% of respondents are in favour of another referendum in Scotland.
• Of those that think there should be another referendum, two in five (40%) believe it should wait until after Brexit negotiations have been completed. 30% feel it should take place prior to Brexit negotiations being completed, and 26% want a referendum on Scottish independence as soon as possible. In Scotland, however, only 11% would want a referendum as soon as possible.
• Two thirds (65%) of Saga respondents believe that we should spend less than 0.7% of the national income on foreign aid. A quarter (25%) think we should keep the proportion of national income spent on foreign aid the same, and 6% believe it should be increased.
• Seven in ten respondents (71%) agree that a scheme where older people that want to downsize are offered some stamp duty relief on the purchase of their smaller home is a good idea. 12% disagree and 17% are unsure.

Populus interviewed 11,555 Saga respondents, all aged 50+ online between 16 and 22 May 2017. Data was weighted to be nationally representative. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules; for more information www.populus.co.uk