Over 60% of the British public would prefer to have a social enterprise operating their local services rather than government, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by the Social Enterprise Coalition.

The survey asked 2,200 people what type of institution they would choose to run their local services as efficiently as possible, assuming the cost of the service would not change. While 64% chose a social enterprise model company, only 5% said they would prefer a traditional charity to deliver such services, with 11% opting for government.

Commenting on the survey, Dr Sam Everington, a GP at Bromley-By-Bow Centre and a social enterprise ambassador, said: “…I have seen the incredibly positive effects you get from combining a business approach with real community involvement. Our social enterprise model allows us to cut straight through the red tape to respond to the needs of our community, creating enormous benefits to all aspects of people’s health.”

The survey results were published to coincide with Social Enterprise Day. For more on that, see the Charity Times news story here.