By Dr Róisín McCarthy, Research Officer, National Screening Service
Understanding how people feel about screening helps us improve our services and reach more people.
We looked at our research from 2023 and 2024 to see what changed in terms of how people think about BowelScreen – Ireland’s free national bowel screening programme.
About the research
The research was carried out using online surveys with adults living in Ireland who are eligible for BowelScreen. It looked at people’s awareness of bowel screening, what motivates them to take part, and what might stop them taking part.
More people see screening as important
A positive finding is that more people now recognise the importance of bowel screening.
- 96% of people in 2024 said bowel screening is important.
- This is up from 86% in 2023.
Fear is still a barrier
Fear of finding something wrong is still the main reason people say would stop them from taking part in bowel screening:
- 55% in 2024
- 46% in 2023
What motivates people to take part
The research shows that peace of mind is a strong reason to take part:
- 72% in 2024
- 59% in 2023
Advice from a GP or healthcare professional has become much more influential as a motivator:
- 59% in 2024
- 37% in 2023
Changing views on the benefits of screening
People’s understanding of the benefits of bowel screening is evolving.
Early detection of cancer is still widely recognised (88% in 2024), but more people now understand that screening can help prevent bowel cancer:
- 61% in 2024
- 41% in 2023
This shows growing awareness that bowel screening is not just about finding bowel cancer early - it can help stop bowel cancer from developing.
Conclusion
This research helps us understand what matters to people so we can keep improving how we communicate, support people to take part and make screening accessible to everyone.
- The 2023 survey was carried out by Empathy Research, and the 2024 survey by Core Research, on behalf of the HSE National Screening Service.
- We would like to thank CSTAR at UCD for their support with analysing the data.
- BowelScreen is for everyone aged 57 to 71.
- It’s for people who have no symptoms of bowel cancer.
- It’s a free test that you do yourself at home and it takes just a few minutes.
- When you get your invitation to take part, order your home-test kit online at hse.ie/bowelscreen