Elizabeth Mitchell Elder

All Publications

• The political polarization of health outcomes in the USA. Nature human behaviour Elder, E., O'Brian, N. A. 2026

  Abstract

  Public health disparities provide an important lens for understanding social and political change in the USA. Using individual-level medical data and death records, this study shows that conservative Americans experienced worsening health and higher mortality than liberals during the 2010s. Here we find evidence consistent with two potential mechanisms. First, demographic realignment within political coalitions brought less healthy individuals into the conservative camp. Yet by the 2020s, demographic change, public policy and COVID-19 do not fully account for the widening gap in mortality rates. Public opinion data are consistent with a second mechanism: declining trust in medical professionals among right-leaning individuals, including lower willingness to seek care, follow clinical advice or believe in medication effectiveness, even for issues unrelated to COVID-19. These patterns suggest that growing ideological divides in health behaviours are leaving conservative Americans increasingly vulnerable to preventable health risks.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41562-026-02474-9

  View details for PubMedID 42135444

  View details for PubMedCentralID 5734668

• Company Towns: Single-Industry Dominance and Local Government Capacity BRITISH JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE Elder, E. 2025; 55

  View details for DOI 10.1017/S0007123425101178

  View details for Web of Science ID 001630934100001

• Place Attachments: Theory and Measurement for Political Science POLITICAL BEHAVIOR Elder, E., Lueders, H. 2025

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11109-025-10076-w

  View details for Web of Science ID 001570172900001

• Race, Voice, and Authority in Discussion Groups PERSPECTIVES ON POLITICS Elder, E., Karpowitz, C. F., Mendelberg, T. 2025

  View details for DOI 10.1017/S1537592724002068

  View details for Web of Science ID 001395705100001

• The Effects of Racial Diversity in Citizen Decision-Making Bodies JOURNAL OF POLITICS Karpowitz, C. F., Mendelberg, T., Elder, E., Ribar, D. 2024

  View details for DOI 10.1086/726946

  View details for Web of Science ID 001087840800002

• The Long-Term Effects of Neighborhood Disadvantage on Voting Behavior: The "Moving to Opportunity" Experiment AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE REVIEW Elder, E., Enos, R., Mendelberg, T. 2023

  View details for DOI 10.1017/S0003055423000692

  View details for Web of Science ID 001101804400001

• Signaling Race, Ethnicity, and Gender with Names: Challenges and Recommendations JOURNAL OF POLITICS Elder, E., Hayes, M. 2023

  View details for DOI 10.1086/723820

  View details for Web of Science ID 000954564900002

• Social Groups as the Source of Political Belief Systems: Fresh Evidence on an Old Theory AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE REVIEW Elder, E., O'brian, N. A. 2022; 116 (4): 1407-1424

  View details for DOI 10.1017/S0003055422000326

  View details for Web of Science ID 000784531700001