Equity at the Ballot Box: Health as a Resource for Political Participation Among Low-Income Workers in Two United States Cities

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify health resources associated with propensity to vote at the local-level among low-wage workers in two United States. cities. Literature confirms individuals of lower income have a lower propensity of turning out to vote, yet few studies have focused on low-income populations to identify the variation in factors associated with voting within this group. Furthermore, few studies have investigated health and voter turnout at the local-level. In this study, we examine factors related to political participation at the local-level within a low-wage sample, examine mental, physical, behavioral, and social health and their association with voter turnout, and assess if these relationships differ by city.Methods: We use cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 974 low-wage workers in Minneapolis, MN and Raleigh, NC. We computed descriptive statistics and employed a logistic regression to predict their likelihood of local voter turnout, with the key independent variables being health resources, such as self-rated health, body mass index (BMI), mental disability, smoking status, and health insurance status. We employed a logistic regression fully interacted with a city indicator variable to assess if these associations differed by city.Results: In both cities, less than 50 percent of respondents reported voting in the last election for mayor or city council. About three-quarters of the sample reported food or housing insecurity and the majority of respondents reported utilizing some government assistance, such as supplemental nutrition programs. BMI greater than 30 was significantly associated with lower likelihood of voter turnout compared to those of lower BMI status (marginal effect = −0.10, p = 0.026). Never smoking or quitting was significantly associated with higher likelihood of voter turnout compared to those who reported being a current smoker (marginal effect = 0.10, p = 0.002). Those with health insurance were significantly more likely to report voting compared to those without any insurance (marginal effect = 0.10, p = 0.022). These results did not significantly differ by city.Conclusions: Our research suggests low-wage workers face significant health burdens which may impact their propensity to vote at the local-level, and these associations do not significantly vary by city despite demographic and political differences between two jurisdictions.

Policy feedback via economic behavior: A model and experimental analysis of consumption behavior

“…The Progresa results also have important implications for the mass policy feedback literature that focuses on political participation and government support. The existing mass policy feedback literature establishes that transferred resources can boost the capacity to participate in political and civic activities (Campbell, 2003;McGuire et al, 2021;Mettler, 2002Mettler, , 2005Schober, 2019;Shore, 2014), create incentives to defend the policy (Campbell, 2003;Pierson, 1993), increase the likelihood that organizations will mobilize beneficiaries (Campbell, 2003), and boost political efficacy (Hunter & Sugiyama, 2014;Jacobs et al, 2021). Just as transferred resources create multiple political mechanisms (i.e., political feeds) for beneficiaries to increase political participation and support for the policy providers, transferred resources generate economic mechanisms that affect consumption behavior in the mass public and subsequent policy outcomes.…”

The relationship between health and political ideology begins in childhood

“…Voting occurs at substantially higher rates, independent of wealth and education, among healthier members of the American electorate ( McGuire et al, 2021 ; Pacheco & Fletcher, 2015 ; Sund, Lahtinen, Wass, Mattila, & Martikainen, 2017 ). Politicians are said to disproportionately respond to the policy preferences of voters compared to non-voters ( Griffin & Newman, 2005 ; Martin, 2003 ).…”

Chronic health conditions and voter turnout: Results from the 2012 United States presidential election

“…These findings suggest that different chronic health conditions have varying associations with the likelihood to vote, implicating that some groups are more vulnerable to being underrepresented in politics. The health and voter turnout relationship should be further investigated within specific groups, such as age and income levels, and among those with specific health conditions, to understand the sources of variation to voter turnout within these groups, rather than exclusively examining cross‐group differences as this study did (Hirsch et al, 2019; McGuire et al, 2021). For instance, a recent study including 51 participants in North Carolina found that among those in the study sample living with a traumatic brain injury being married was associated with a lower likelihood of voter turnout, contrary to the typical findings among studies that examine the relationship between marriage and voter turnout in the national population (Hirsch et al, 2019).…”