More Progress Seen on Cancer, AIDS, Smoking than Other Health Problems % who say nation is making progress on Cancer 54
Four decades after President Nixon declared “war on cancer,” the public still is not ready to declare victory, but many believe progress is being made. But that is not the case with two other public health challenges — prescription drug use and mental illness — where Americans believe the country is losing ground.
To be sure, the public believes that cancer remains a major national problem—79% say it is extremely or very serious, according to the Pew Research Center’s latest national survey. But 54% of Americans say that the nation is making progress on cancer, while just 15% think it is losing ground and 31% say that things are staying about the same. (The American Cancer Society said in a 2013 report that the 5-year relative survival rate for all persons diagnosed with cancer of all types between 2002 and 2008 was 68%, up from 49% in 1975-77).
When it comes to mental illness, just 19% say the nation is making progress in dealing with the disease while 16% say it is making progress on prescription drug abuse. Significantly more Americans say the country is losing ground on these two problems (35% on mental illness, 37% on prescription drug abuse). Those are the most pessimistic measures for any of the seven public health issues included in the survey.
Relatively few Americans (17%) also think progress is being made in combating alcohol abuse, but a lower number (23%) say ground is being lost than in the cases of mental illness or prescription drug abuse. About six-in-ten (58%) say the alcohol abuse problem is staying about the same, while 23% say the country is losing ground on dealing with alcohol abuse.
More Progress Seen on Cancer, AIDS,  | Smoking than Other Health Problems  | % who say nation is making progress on  | Cancer  | 54  | AIDS  | 48  | Cigarette  | 45  | smoking  | Obesity  | 28  | Mental  | 19  | illness  | Alcohol  | 17  | abuse  | Prescription  | 16  | drug abuse  | Source: Pew Research Center Oct. 30- Nov 6. 2013  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 