JUST over half of Scots agree social injustice is to blame for some people suffering poorer health than others, a study has found. Research for NHS Health Scotland showed a majority of people believe how much money you have and where you live affect your wellbeing.
In a survey carried out by the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen) , 51% of those questioned agreed “certain people’s health is worse than others because of injustice in our society”.
Around one quarter disagreed with the statement, while 21% were neutral or did not know.
Seven in 10 people said those with more money are better able to live healthy lives.
Meanwhile, 72% agreed the gap between those with high and low incomes is too large.
Almost 60% said they would be willing to pay higher taxes to improve the health of poorer people.
Susan Reid, research director at ScotCen, said: “Today’s findings illustrate that the vast majority of Scots believe that poverty is related to having poorer health and over- whelmingly perceive the income gap as too large.
“Although there are marked differences in attitudes between different social groups when it comes to views on potential causes of these inequalities, we also observe common ground and shared goals.
“Most Scots would like govern- ment to focus on improving the status quo and there is considerable support for increasing taxes as part of that.”
Scottish Labour said the findings supported their call to “make the wealthiest pay their fair share”.
The party’s poverty spokeswoman, Elaine Smith, commented: “The top 1% in Scotland own almost as much wealth as the bottom 50% put together. That is unacceptable and unsustainable.
“Scotland can only be a healthier country if it is a fairer country.”
Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said: “Tackling inequality is crucial to improving the health of many people in Scotland, and continues to be central to the government’s policies.”
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