Montez quoted in Undark article on state policies, life expectancy

February 2, 2021

Undark Magazine

Jennifer Karas Montez

Sociology Department

Aging Studies Institute

Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

Longevity

State & Local

United States

Undark Magazine

Jennifer Karas Montez

In a study published in September 2020, Professor Jennifer Karas Montez, Gerald B. Cramer Faculty Scholar in Aging Studies, and her colleagues, merged state policy data with life expectancy data for each of the 45 years to see whether there was any association. Their finding: States that implemented more conservative policies were more likely to experience a reduction in life expectancy. "We know states that we can look to: What is Connecticut doing? What did New York State do?" Montez says. "We can also look to the states that are declining and say, 'What did they do wrong?'" Thus, the U.S. offers 50 individual case studies that show how policies are linked to health, Montez says. Read more in the Undark article, "Are Conservative Policies Shortening American Lives?"