Influences on Support for Health and Social Policy Reform: Exploring Religiosity and Media as Contributors to Public Understanding of Health Equity

Abstract

A number of public health organizations have advanced goals of promoting health equity, or the opportunity for everyone to have a fair and just opportunity for health. While studies have explored influences on public understanding of disparities, or health differences that are closely linked with economic, social, or environmental disadvantages, few have considered influences on public understanding of health equity and support for policies that promote health equity. In this dissertation, I consider the influence of religious identity and media on public understanding of health equity and support for policy using survey data and media content. First, I use data from the National Survey of Health Attitudes, a nationally representative and probability-based survey that includes questions gauging respondents’ agreement with health equity beliefs. Next, I report the results of a survey-based experiment assessing the effects of messages that appeal to health equity on individuals’ support for policy. I fielded this experiment among a sample of individuals who identify as Christian, a prominent religious tradition in the U.S., and individuals who do not identify as religious. Finally, I analyze the content of public service announcements (PSAs) about the COVID-19 vaccine and reveal the extent that PSAs included messages that may have appealed to health equity. As part of this study, I explore community-level factors such as disease prevalence and politics that may have predicted PSA airings. I discuss the implications of these findings for health and social policy, health equity, and future research.