Health as a driver of political participation and preferences: Implications for policy makers and political actors

Congratulations to UC Merced Assistant Professor Anil Menon and coauthor Nolan M. Kavanagh on their policy memo "Health as a driver of political participation and preferences: Implications for policy makers and political actors" in the World Health Organization's European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.

Key messages:

• Health is central to people’s lives yet an under-appreciated influence on politics.
• People in poor health often have negative, stigmatizing experiences with public institutions which undermine their trust in the health system, government and democracy.
• People with poor health and disabilities are less likely to vote. Limited mobility, financial constraints and social stigma all act as barriers to participating in the democratic process.
• Declines in the health of individuals and their communities have been linked to support for anti-democratic values and fringe political parties.
• Populist parties, especially on the right, give voice to voters frustrated with public institutions that have failed to meet their needs and ‘left them behind’.
• Historically, people in poor health supported mainstream left-leaning parties, but recent evidence suggests that they now gravitate towards right-wing populists. 
• Policies that protect and promote the well-being of the public are also part of rebuilding trust in public institutions and the democratic process.
• Policy makers can better engage people in poor health in the democratic process by implementing health-promoting policies and lowering barriers to participation.
• People in poor health may be less likely to vote but they do participate in politics by joining patient advocacy groups and through other non-voting activities, offering opportunities for engagement.
• Policy makers can ensure that more vulnerable populations are represented in politics by soliciting the opinions of people in poor health and partnering with advocacy groups.
• Designing health policies so that the benefits are visible, meaningful and easily attributable to the government means the public is more likely to value the policies and reward the elected officials who adopt them.
• Health and politics exist in a self-reinforcing cycle. Rebuilding trust in democratic institutions starts by ensuring that those institutions meet the public’s needs.