Replication Data for: Making Us Sick? Effects of Partisan Polarization on Health

Partisan polarization is a significant driver of stress and anxiety for the American public, and recent aggregate-level studies suggest polarization may be shaping Americans’ health. This individual-level study uses a new representative dataset of 2752 US residents surveyed between December 2019 and January 2020, testing why some Americans report more days of poor physical and mental health per month than others. Using negative binomial models, zero inflated models, and descriptive visualizations, we find evidence that polarization is detrimental to an individual's physical and mental health; the more distant they feel politically from the average voter in their state, the worse health outcomes they report. By uncovering the individual-level political drivers of health, this study aims to encourage further study and attention to the broader consequences of political polarization on American communities.

党派极化（Partisan Polarization）是引发美国公众压力与焦虑的重要诱因，近期的总体层面研究表明，党派极化可能对美国人的健康状况产生塑造性影响。本项个体层面研究采用了全新的代表性数据集，该数据集涵盖2019年12月至2020年1月期间受访的2752名美国居民，旨在探究为何部分美国人每月自述的身心不适天数多于他人。本研究运用负二项模型（negative binomial models）、零膨胀模型（zero inflated models）以及描述性可视化方法，证实党派极化对个体的身心健康均存在不利影响：个体在政治立场上与所在州的平均选民越疏离，其自述的健康状况就越差。本研究通过揭示影响健康的个体层面政治驱动因素，旨在推动后续相关研究，并促使学界与社会更多关注党派极化对美国社区产生的广泛影响。