65% of adults have never undergone a cancer screening test, but 76% are interested in trying.

iReach Insights Press Release

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18th July 2019

65% of adults have never undergone a cancer screening test, but 76% are interested in trying. 

42% would prefer to undergo the test at a doctor’s office, 38% would prefer to do an at-home test.

      Females are 13% more likely to have receive a cancer screening test every few years.

51% said the most frequently they would be willing to get a cancer-screening test would be every 6 months-1 year.

The world of health is evolving to become more inclusive of technology. With this in mind, iReach Insights conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,001 adults in Ireland to determine public opinion on innovative health technology. 

The three medical innovations people are most aware of are: 1. Health Wearables (64%), 2. Health Apps (60%), and 3. Telehealth Visits (40%). 15% of adults have used a health wearable and 18% have used a health app, but only 5% have ever completed a telehealth visit.

65% of adults have never undergone a cancer screening test, but 76% are interested in trying a cancer screening test. Of those interested in undergoing a cancer-screening test, 42% would prefer to undergo the test at a doctor’s office, 38% would prefer to do an at-home test, and the remaining 20% preferred both options equally.

Those who preferred undergoing the cancer screening test in a doctor’s office were against the at home tests for three main reasons: 1. Afraid of messing up test, leading to inaccurate results (68%), 2. Prefer doctor involvement in medical matters (60%), and 3. Don’t believe a do-it-yourself test would be as accurate as a doctor’s test (52%). Those who preferred undergoing taking cancer screening tests at home were against going to the doctor’s office for three main reasons: 1. Flexibility (67%), 2. Less time-consuming (60%), and Cheaper (42%).

Females (22%) are more likely than males (9%) to have received a cancer screening test every few years. 51% of respondents said the most frequently they would be willing to get a cancer-screening test would be every 6 months-1 year.

Cancer screening tests also may get a worse reputation than they deserve. Two in three (66%) adults believe cancer screening tests are not painful, and only 1 in 10 (9%) believe the tests have side effects.

About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 6th-13th June and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

Questions asked of participants:

Which of the following medical innovations are you aware of?

Which of these medical innovations would you be interested in taking advantage of yourself?

What option would you prefer?

Why do you prefer Option A (doctor’s appointment)?

Why do you prefer Option B (do-it-yourself at home)?

If necessary, how often would you be prepared to undergo such a test?

How often do you currently undergo cancer screening tests?

Are some of these tests painful?

In your experience, do some of these tests have side effects?

iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.

iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: PR@ireachhq.com