Britain Is Poorer Than Every US State | IEA Podcast

Britain Is Poorer Than Every US State | IEA Podcast

From IEA Podcast by Institute of Economic Affairs

April 17, 2026 · 49 min

About this episode

The episode discusses British economic attitudes, political divides, NHS reform, and the implications of price controls on essential goods.

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, Callum Price is joined by Director General Lord Frost and Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz to discuss the week in economics. The episode covers findings from the IEA’s landmark public opinion report on British attitudes to economic growth, a new poll from the New Statesman on the gender gap in political attitudes among young people, an IPR report on NHS reform, and the SNP’s proposal to cap prices on essential food items. The panel examines the IEA polling which found that most Britons believe the UK is wealthier than comparable economies such as the United States, Australia and Singapore, when in fact it lags behind most of them significantly. The discussion moves to the generational and gender divides in political opinion, with Kristian noting that Britain is something of an outlier internationally, where young people across the board have moved left rather than following patterns seen in France or Germany. On the NHS, the panel critiques the IPR’s report arguing against a move to an insurance-based funding model, questioning whether it engages seriously with why some health systems outperform others and what role market…

People in this episode

Host: Callum Price

Guests: Lord Frost, Kristian Niemietz

Topics covered

  • economic growth
  • public opinion
  • political attitudes
  • NHS reform
  • price controls
  • generational divides
  • gender gap

Keywords

  • Britain
  • US States
  • economic attitudes
  • NHS
  • SNP
  • price caps
  • public opinion
  • political opinion
  • gender gap
  • generational divide

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Institute of Economic Affairs, New Statesman, SNP, IPR

Places: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore

More episodes of IEA Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the IEA Podcast podcast page.