Social class and environment: their perceived influence on health in Britain

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Abstract
PERCEPTIONS of the health risks thought to be associated with the lower and middle classes and urban and rural environments were investigated. Three hundred subjects were asked to read one of 12 character profiles and answer a series of questions related to their perceptions of the health behaviours, health attitudes and illness susceptibility of the target character. The 12 characters differed in terms of their places of residence (urban/rural) and occupa tions. Subjects were found to have definite ideas of the health risks associated with socio-economic status and the environment and many of their perceptions reflected the official statistics. The implications of the results for the planning of health education programmes are discussed. The impor tance of taking account of the social context in which health decisions are made is emphasised.

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