Satisfaction with public services in the UK has collapsed over the past three years, according to a new poll that shows hospitals, train companies and schools are held in significantly lower esteem than a quarter of a century ago.

Education, healthcare and the police service have all suffered a sharp drop in satisfaction levels since 2021, while two-thirds of voters currently describe public services as “underfunded”, a poll by Ipsos for the Financial Times showed.

The poll found that just 32 per cent of patients surveyed were satisfied with their local NHS hospital, compared with 80 per cent of people polled by the group in 1998. Meanwhile, just 40 per cent of patients reported that they are satisfied with their GP, compared with 90 per cent in 1998.