CACI’s Voice of the Nation survey from H1 2026 polled 2,000 adults across the UK. Designed to be nationally representative, our surveys explore topics relevant to consumer markets. This most recent poll delved into healthcare; private and self-funded healthcare options such as weight-loss treatments and fitness and wellness apps. The results help us to understand current and changing attitudes to healthcare among consumers, providing valuable insights to providers in understanding and reacting to market dynamics. Here, we look at some of the key findings and what they mean for healthcare providers.
Key insights from the survey
- Price/affordability is the primary driver for weight-loss product selection (51%).
- There is a large gap between actual and desired wellness subscription uptake: only 8% currently subscribe to fitness/wellness apps, but potential penetration could reach 25% if affordability barriers were removed.
- Younger consumers show particularly strong demand for wellness and self-funded health services.
What’s driving the uptake of weight-loss treatments?
When provided with a list of six weight-loss products, including tablets, shakes, supplements, patches and injections, 28% of respondents identified at least one that they currently use (including prescribed treatments). Among those who do use these products, there are notable gender-driven differences in the products used:
- Among men, tablets were the most commonly identified (14% of all men and nearly half of all those who use any product), followed by shakes and supplements.
- For women, however, the distribution is much broader, with no one type of product being used by more than 9% of respondents. In this case, shakes ranked top. There is a five-percentage-point difference in usage of tablets between men and women (just 9% for women).
Take-up of different weight-loss products is motivated by different factors, with cost being a major driver. When the 28% of respondents who use these products were further asked about what was important when deciding on which products to buy, 51% identified price/affordability ahead of brand reputation, product effectiveness, product contents (natural or safe ingredients), recommendations or reviews and ratings.
That 51% who factor in price rises to 60% among those who buy supplements. However, 50% of those who use shakes identify brand reputation and online reviews as important factors, significantly higher than for any other type of weight-loss product.
The impact of affordability on subscription apps
8% of respondents say that they currently pay for a subscription to a fitness or wellness app. This ranks lower than things like food delivery service (23%) and gaming subscriptions (16%). It’s roughly on par with news or magazine subscriptions (9%) and meal kits (7%).
There is a clear age gap in the responses: 16% of Gen Z respondents said that they pay for a fitness or wellness app subscription, falling to just 4% among Gen X respondents.
Yet, many more say that they would subscribe to them if they could afford to. Among those who don’t currently pay for a fitness or wellness app subscription, 17% aspire to, rising to 34% among Gen Z. This indicates an unmet gap between potential take-up and the actual subscription base. If those who say that they cannot afford to subscribe felt able to, the 8% would rise to 25%.
Understanding the age gap
There is a gap for providers to consider here across the private and self-funded healthcare industry. Price, at least initially, is clearly very important to consumers. With a clearer intent among younger buyers to invest in their health, it’s imperative that providers consider affordability for this demographic. They’re the most likely to buy, but they’re also the least likely to have the disposable income to justify doing so.
It’s clear that consumers are increasingly willing to invest, but premium positioning and brand reputation are not enough on their own to attract customers. Demonstration of value is just as important.
Key considerations
The gap between current and potential uptake shows that the demand already exists. Affordability, rather than awareness, is emerging as the primary blocker. Technology is lowering the barrier to entry, offering a more affordable route to market at scale. Personalised digital engagement remains crucial, as does the end-to-end customer journey. From initial offers, flexible payment plans and subscription models that offer flexibility and value, to ongoing engagement and digital journeys, there are myriad ways in which providers can retain customers.
Of course, customers also need to see tangible outcomes, so ongoing support of their journey and demonstration of results is valuable. For example, people won’t continue with a weight-loss product if they don’t actually lose weight.
Finally, the underlying takeaway from CACI’s Voice of the Nation survey is that consumers are increasingly willing to invest in their health via private and self-funded routes. Demand remains strong and appears to be growing, so there is clear potential for scaling costs across a growing consumer base.
Understanding where affordability pressures are most acute is clearly becoming increasingly important for healthcare providers. Our technology and data products are designed to help you understand the specific demographics in your market. From segmentation by age and location to the specific income groups within them, CACI supports thousands of organisations across the UK with market-specific data and insights.
For further insights into consumer and neighbourhood profiling, explore Acorn, our geodemographic segmentation dataset.