DrugScope/ICM poll into attitudes to drug treatment
In February 2009, DrugScope included four questions in an ICM Online Omnibus Poll in order to find out more about public attitudes to drug treatment. The poll was conducted on-line and was self-completed. Invitations to complete the survey were e-mailed to the ICM Online Panel, comprised of 100,000 people aged 18 plus who have signed up to participate in ICM online research. A total of 1,039 people responded to the questions.
The poll results revealed high levels of public support for drug treatment. Over three quarters of respondents agreed that investment in drug treatment is a sensible use of public money, with almost 9 out of 10 agreeing that treatment should be available to anyone with an addiction to drugs who is prepared to address it.
These attitudes may partly reflect the fact that one in five respondents had personal experience of drug dependency, either direct or indirect. One in ten respondents had a friend with experience of drug dependency, one in twenty had a family member with experience of drug dependency and one in fifty respondents had experienced drug dependency themselves.
DrugScope published the complete findings in July 2009. For further details on the methodology, please contact Dr Marcus Roberts at marcusr@drugscope.org.uk
You can read a full analysis of the findings, by DrugScope’s Director of Policy and Membership Dr Marcus Roberts, here (PDF 138KB)
You can read the press release that DrugScope issued on publication of the research here
