This right to vote is the basic right without which all others are meaningless. It gives people as individuals control over their own destinies. – Lyndon B Johnson
With both local and European elections taking place this week, we have the opportunity to exercise our democratic right to vote. Our vote is a powerful tool that addresses many issues we care about, including our health.
The idea that our health is highly determined by social factors is a central idea within public health. Social determinants of health (SDH) are non-medical factors that influence health outcomes, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is estimated that SDH accounts for between 30 and 50 per cent of health outcomes. Following the 2020 election in the US, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a resolution calling for voting to be recognised as a social determinant of health. The resolution also recognises that gerrymandering limits access to care and leads to worse health outcomes.
What is the relationship between voting and good health?
Young people who vote are more likely to have better health over their lifetime. According to the University of California San Francisco Voice Project, “even after correcting for selection bias, youth voting predicts increased personal and household income levels, higher levels of education, abstinence from heavy drinking and smoking, and fewer symptoms of depression”.
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Among older adults, a study performed by Carnegie Mellon University found that in adults over 50, those who put in 200 volunteer hours or more in the previous year were less likely to develop high blood pressure and had a reportedly greater increase in psychological wellbeing. And college students with a higher level of civic engagement reported fewer symptoms of depression.
But can voting be bad for your health?
There are a few studies that suggest it can. In one of the most detailed, researchers in Taiwan found that demand for healthcare services rose by up to 19 per cent among first-time voters during major election campaigns. The 2023 study, published in the journal Health Economics, looked at the health records of 900,000 people during four election periods in Taiwan. “Contrary to earlier studies focusing on mental health, we find higher spending on the treatment of physical health conditions, such as acute respiratory infections, gastrointestinal conditions and injuries,” the authors say.
But in the country’s 2012 presidential election, there was a 30 per cent increase in anxiety attacks and related disorders dealt with by hospitals. And the researchers believed the illnesses were mainly due to the stress of choosing who to vote for, and anxiety from being surrounded by political ads during the election campaign. They said the condition should be known as “election syndrome” or “election stress disorder”.
As for the increase in physical illness during election campaigns, the authors suggest it is due to fatigue and weakened immunity, making voters more susceptible to infection. They identified two main pathways through which election illness occurs: psychological stress leading to mental health problems, and participation in campaign activities that affect physical health. They postulate that voters became more likely to pick up contagious diseases due to queues at polling booths, and that some may suffer injuries while attending crowded political rallies. Interestingly, the authors note that “elevated healthcare use occurred only during the campaign period and did not persist after the election”.
A separate study supports the temporary nature of election stress disorder. In the six-month run up to the 2020 US presidential election, participants in a study reported an increase in moderate to severe anxiety and depression, an increase in visits to mental health clinics, and increased prescription drug use – all of which declined after the election.
While there may be short-term ill-effects on health from election campaigns, in the longer term, voting is a positive determinant of our health.
Invest in your health by choosing to vote on Friday.