Political scientist from the University of Michigan Scott L. Greer presents numerous studies illustrating how political involvement and health issues are intertwined, alongside adverse health care encounters.

Greer, who serves as a professor of health management and policy as well as global public health at the U-M School of Public Health, appears on the Michigan Minds podcast to examine the intersection of politics and public health, particularly regarding vaccinations, preparedness against spreading infectious diseases, humanitarian efforts, and HIV/AIDS initiatives.

You’ve recently had a number of publications, podcasts, and articles on your research, including a comprehensive review of several decades of studies that clarifies how health and health care frameworks influence political involvement and trust in democratic entities. What key insights emerged from that research?

Essentially, our findings indicate a notable trend over the past 30 years where declining self-reported health increasingly correlates with individuals either disengaging from the political sphere or aligning with the populist radical right, including voting for Brexit or supporting fascist movements in Europe. What’s happening here?

The situation unfolds when individuals receive a diagnosis of a chronic illness or experience a significant and sustained decline in their self-reported health; they often engage extensively with health care systems, encounter their employer’s HR frameworks, and may interact with government assistance programs or home health care systems.

Even minimal interactions with these systems can be impactful … as most are not structured to make individuals feel like empowered patients or respected adults. Instead, they tend to be disempowering and lacking in trustworthiness. Some are deliberately designed to impose administrative hurdles, complicating your life further.

So, what occurs when you find yourself spending substantial time with entities that frequently disregard your interests? You grow less trusting, and when that trust diminishes, there is usually a political party in many nations ready to embrace your vote and appeal to your most negative instincts.