A fresh study by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, spotlighting the deepening partisan chasm in how Americans perceive COVID-19's impact, underscores the complexities at the intersection of public health, race, and politics. Data from a national survey conducted in the spring of 2023, published in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, reveals a stark contrast in the beliefs held by Democrats and Republicans on issues from health disparities to the authority of health agencies.
When questioned about the disproportionate toll of COVID-19 on certain demographics, Democrats were markedly more inclined than their Republican counterparts to attribute these disparities to race or income. The survey found no significant partisan divide, however, regarding age or chronic illness. On the broader subject of systemic racism as a root cause of health inequities—54% of Democrats gave their nods in agreement, as compared to a scant 12% of Republicans and an even fewer 17% of Independents, the study identified.
Moreover, while just over half of the respondents stood behind the concept of public health departments wielding authority to curb infectious diseases, this support was substantially lopsided along party lines. "75% of Democrats supported this authority, while 39% of Republicans, and 35% of Independents did so," SPH Professor Sarah Gollust pointed out in the university report.
The study’s authors, including SPH’s Gollust and colleagues from the university's Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Wesleyan University, have crafted a stark portrayal of the pandemic-fueled polarization. "The rapidity with which the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated political polarization surrounding public health is a crisis that demands all of our attention," Gollust stated, noting a fall in public recognition of racial disparities since their initial survey in April 2020. An evident challenge for elected officials and public health leaders lies in the pressing need to demystify and communicate the underlying causes of health disparities effectively.
Amidst the current health landscape, the research team, also part of the Collaborative on Media & Messaging for Health and Social Policy, suggests that a concentrated effort is essential in depolarizing public health ideologies. Their work, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, highlights the urgency to bolster public comprehension of public health values and to champion initiatives targeting persistent inequities.
