New research from the University of Oregon has found that a person’s political beliefs impact the trust they have in their doctors and health care providers. The study conducted by UO political scientist Neil O’Brian surveyed nearly 2,000 people and found that individuals on the political right reported less trust in their own primary care provider, child’s pediatrician, and medical staff in an emergency room compared to those on the political left.
This division in trust has significant implications for health outcomes as it affects patients’ willingness to follow medical guidance, which is crucial for managing health conditions and improving life expectancy. O’Brian noted that the partisan divide in trust in personal doctors emerged as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, breaking along political lines in 2020.
The research also highlighted that the strongest predictor for distrust in one’s personal health care provider is now who the patient voted for in the 2020 election, as opposed to factors like race, education, age, or having health insurance. O’Brian plans to further investigate the factors that inspire patients’ trust in their doctors, as well as explore the impact of the trust gap in doctors on health outcomes for Republicans and Democrats.
The study was co-authored by independent researcher Thomas Bradley Kent and was recently published in the British Journal of Political Science. O’Brian was honored as a 2024 Andrew Carnegie Fellow for his work. The research sheds light on the impact of political beliefs on trust in healthcare and emphasizes the need for understanding and addressing the intersection of politics and health care.
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