How does public opinion respond to performance of the National Health Service in England? Theory and evidence.

Building on previous research into retrospective voting about economic performance, the study will examine how voters perceive performance of public services.

The project will draw on extensive economic voting literature to develop a more theoretical account of the determinants of public perceptions of NHS performance. The study will examine the role of the partisanship, political sophistication and local vs national performance effects on public opinion and also explore how current performance metrics, or 'negative events' such as Trusts entering special measures, affect people's opinions of the NHS.

The project will measure changes in public opinion using panel data from the British Election Study, and the British Social Attitudes series of surveys, in conjunction with official regional performance statistics and records of negative events.