Almost two thirds of people believe waiting lists have grown in the past few years but in fact they have been reduced, a conference on the health services heard yesterday.
Prof Miriam Wiley of the Economic and Social Research Institute said it was "extraordinary" how low public confidence was in a health service on which so much money was being spent.
But those who had been treated in the public health service had a more positive attitude towards it than those who had no experience of it, she said.
She was addressing a conference in Dublin called to promote partnership between management and unions in the health services in preparation for implementing the forthcoming Government health strategy.
The conference was organised by the Health Service National Partnership Forum.
Mr Peter Cassells, executive chairman of the National Centre for Partnership and Performance, told the conference that many people in the health services were "terrified" of the changes that would come from the national health strategy.
Mr Cassells said that the partnership process would involve "everybody from hospital porters to consultants".