Just a quarter of people receiving residential aged care in Australia feel their needs are always met, while the figure for home care is even lower.
The Flinders University survey, released on Tuesday, investigated the aged care experience of 1,000 elderly men and women.
They were asked about their thoughts on social connection, care and support, daily living and complaint processes.
Of people in residential care, 24 per cent said all their needs were always met, while the figure for home care was 20 per cent, numbers the report said were "alarming".
The study was published by the aged care royal commission, which will deliver its final report on the sector on 26 February.
An interim report described the aged care system as a tale of neglect which is failing to meet the needs of older and often very often vulnerable people.
The commissioners said aged care services were underfunded and did not deliver uniformly safe and quality care.
An alliance of more than 1,000 organisations that deliver the bulk of government-subsidised care on Monday urged the federal government to increase sector funding.
In a separate survey of 10,000 Australians, Flinders University found 61 per cent of taxpayers would be willing to pay more to better support aged care.
Most adults view aged care as a vital social service, with all key aspects of care considered important or very important by the vast majority, the survey found.
Canberra's handling of aged care has been criticised during the coronavirus pandemic, with 685 residents dying after becoming infected.
