Martínez-Jiménez Mario, Brinsden Hannah, Sassi Franco
Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation, Department of Economics & Public Policy, Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London, London, UK.
The Food Foundation, London, UK.
BMJ Public Health. 2025 Apr 17;3(1):e001731. doi: 10.1136/bmjph-2024-001731. eCollection 2025 Jan.
Appropriately designed food taxes can improve diet quality and health. Fiscal levers are used in several countries to combat the rise in obesity and diet-related diseases. This study aims to investigate public attitudes, knowledge and policy preferences regarding food taxes for promoting healthy eating in the UK.
A survey was administered through YouGov Plc to a nationally representative sample of 2125 adults, gathering information on: acceptability and support for different types of food taxes, awareness and knowledge of existing taxes and preferences for the characteristics of possible new taxes.
Overall, 48% of respondents support higher taxes on unhealthy foods, rising to 72% if taxes made healthy foods more affordable. Respondents with high socioeconomic status and those living in London showed the highest support. Respondents had limited awareness of existing food and beverage taxes and prioritised discretionary items such as cakes and crisps for possible increased taxation.
The survey shows a high level of support for taxing unhealthy foods, as well as concern for the affordability of healthy foods. A carefully designed holistic approach to food taxation can be part of a wider public health strategy and can be favourably met by the general population in the UK.
设计合理的食品税能够改善饮食质量和健康状况。一些国家运用财政杠杆来应对肥胖率上升及与饮食相关疾病的问题。本研究旨在调查英国公众对于促进健康饮食的食品税的态度、认知及政策偏好。
通过舆观调查公司对2125名具有全国代表性的成年人进行了一项调查，收集了以下方面的信息：对不同类型食品税的可接受性和支持度、对现有税收的认知和了解，以及对可能的新税特征的偏好。
总体而言，48%的受访者支持对不健康食品征收更高的税，如果税收能使健康食品更实惠，这一比例将升至72%。社会经济地位较高的受访者以及居住在伦敦的受访者支持率最高。受访者对现有的食品和饮料税了解有限，并且将蛋糕和薯片等非必需食品列为可能提高税收的优先项目。
该调查显示出对不健康食品征税的高度支持，以及对健康食品可负担性的关注。精心设计的食品税收整体方案可以成为更广泛的公共卫生战略的一部分，并能得到英国普通民众的支持。
