Over the past two decades, right-wing ideology has become associated with less trust in medicine—and poorer health
9:00 AM CDT on May 29, 2026
For at least a quarter of a century, public health advocates have understood how social factors like income and education shape health outcomes. But in recent years, where you sit on the political spectrum has joined that list, according to a new study in Nature.
A team of scientists found that conservative Americans got measurably less healthy than liberal Americans over the course of the 2010s. By the early 2020s they were dying at significantly higher rates, even setting aside COVID-19 deaths. They also ran a separate large survey, in 2024, of more than 21,000 people and found that right-leaning Americans—especially Republicans and Trump voters—are less likely to trust their doctors, follow medical advice, and seek care when they probably should.
It isn’t just about COVID vaccines. It extends to medications for chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, and to willingness to go to the doctor for chest pain. The findings don’t prove that political identity is causing worse health, only that the two are correlated, and demographic explanations don’t fully account for it.
