The public is wary of whether nursing home care benefits patients. Twice as many adults say being in a nursing home makes people “worse off” than they were before (41%), as say that nursing homes make people “better off” (19%). Although, almost one-quarter (23%) of adults believe being in a nursing home doesn’t make much difference in patients’ well-being.

Furthermore, few people would choose to get care in a nursing home care over a hospital. Just over one in ten (12%) adults say if they were hospitalized and required round-the-clock care that they would prefer to get this care in a nursing home, while nearly four in ten (39%) say they would prefer to stay in the hospital. More than four in ten (43%) say it wouldn’t make much difference if they moved to a nursing home or stayed in the hospital.