Big government -- or good neighbors -- can improve people's health

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-03/uon-bg-032014.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 20-Mar-2014

Contact: Mitchel Herian
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Big government -- or good neighbors -- can improve people's health

Study explores connection between ideology, social capital and health

Lincoln, Neb., March 20, 2014 – The nation's left-leaning citizens might be pleased by the findings of a new University of Nebraska study that finds those who live in liberal states tend to be healthier.

But conservatives could also take satisfaction in the same study's conclusion that strong communities also foster better health.

"Some people might like the argument that liberal government automatically leads to healthier people, because it supports their worldview," said Mitchel Herian, a faculty fellow with the university's Public Policy Center and lead researcher on the new study. "But in the absence of a liberal government, you also see better levels of health if you have a strong community."

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The two factors – liberalism and social trust – are not interchangeable. People who live in a California city might have liberal political beliefs but mistrust their neighbors, Herian said, while those who live in a small Texas town might mistrust government but count on their neighbors.

To measure a state's social capital, Herian and his colleagues used data from a survey that asked "If you lost a wallet or purse that contained $200 and it was found by a neighbor, do you think it would be returned with the money in it or not?"

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Tay said the study shows two pathways to improving people's health: Strong communities can provide good health outcomes, but government social programs also have a strong connection to good health and could be necessary to serve more fragmented and isolated communities.

Diener said the research demonstrates that good health is not just a matter of individuals "doing the right thing" like quitting smoking, exercising more and losing excess weight.

"Social factors have an influence, too," he said. "It might be government programs, or it might be 'social capital' – having supportive others around us – that can influence our health beyond just each of us doing the right things."