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Many Americans Now Choosing Their Physicians Based on Politics In a nutshell Trust reversal: While Republicans were slightly more trusting of their doctors a decade ago, Democrats are now 12 percentage points more likely to express “a great deal” of trust in their physicians. Political preferences matter: Both Republicans and Democrats strongly prefer doctors who share their political affiliation, sometimes placing as much importance on political alignment as on shared race or gender. Health implications: With Trump voters over 50 being 11 percentage points less likely to closely follow their doctor’s advice, this partisan divide could affect health outcomes and potentially widen existing mortality gaps between Republican and Democratic counties.
EUGENE, Ore. — Polarization across America has grown like ivy, with its leaves stretching deep into a surprising new battleground: the doctor’s office. Research published in the British Journal of Political Science reveals that Americans’ trust in their personal physicians—once a rare nonpartisan sanctuary—has become increasingly divided along political lines, with potentially serious implications for public health.
The study, conducted by Neil O’Brian from the University of Oregon and independent researcher Thomas Bradley Kent, shows that Democrats now express significantly