Montez Talks to NPR About the Link Between Politics and Health

June 15, 2022

NPR

Jennifer Karas Montez

Sociology Department

Aging Studies Institute

Center for Policy Research

Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

Longevity

U.S. Health Policy

United States

NPR

Jennifer Karas Montez

Political polarization is affecting Americans' health, according to a new study. Researchers find higher levels of premature death in Republican-leaning counties compared to those in Democratic-leaning ones. And the theory is that policymaking has shifted more to the states and as political polarization has intensified, the policies passed by Republican-leaning states compared to those passed in Democratic states have led to this greater divide in health outcomes.

"I think it's possible that if people understood how much each of those policies shaped their own health, the health of their children, the health of their friends, there's good reason that they would vote in policymakers who would enact those policies," says University Professor Jennifer Karas Montez. She was interviewed on NPR about the link between health and politics.