2023-05-27 12:00:00
Endless campaigns, controversies on social networks, 24-hour news cycles, electoral debates, rallies, hoaxes, bar and after-dinner discussions; it is impossible to escape politics, even for the casual observer. However, are the political struggles and the increasingly pronounced polarization the ones that give rise to more than one headache in the collective conscience? Research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln suggests that yes, we are getting sick from politics.
Nearly 40% of Americans surveyed for the study said politics is stressing them out, and one in five have trouble falling asleep. These and other responses show that quite a few people in the United States believe that their physical and mental health has been harmed or diminished in some way by exposure to politics.
New research suggests that yes, we are somehow getting sick from politics
And although the study was carried out in the United States, there is nothing to prevent us from thinking that the data cannot be extrapolated to the situation in our country, in which the constant climate of political instability has already led us to what will be the fourth general election in four years.
The personal cost of state affairs
Until now, previous studies related to the impact of elections on the citizen had focused almost exclusively on analyzing the costs of elections for ordinary mortals in terms of time lost to vote or actively inform themselves of the political situation. , or in economic terms such as the monetary costs of supporting a certain campaign.
The investigation, led by University of Nebraska political scientist Kevin Smith is the first to comprehensively analyze the physical and emotional costs of paying attention and participating in political discourse. Thus, Smith and his colleagues John Hibbing y Matthew Hibbingprofessors of political science at Regent’s Foundation Universities in Nebraska and California respectively, thought it was time to take a different approach to the issue.“It became clear, especially during the 2016 election season, that this was a polarized nation and that it was becoming even more polarized politically,” Smith explains, referring to the last US election.
“The cost of this polarization to individuals has not been fully explained by the social sciences, or indeed by health researchers,” he adds. The scientist also defends that the data published this week reflect effects similar to those of a public health crisis.
“The data reflect effects similar to those of a public health crisis”
“A lot of the numbers caught us by surprise,” continues Smith. “20% of those surveyed have seen some of their friendships damaged due to political disagreements. One in five, another 20% report fatigue. And the number is small -proportionally speaking- but 4% of the people in our sample reported having suicidal thoughts due to politics. That translates to 10 million adults,” explains the researcher.
The data analysed, from 800 respondents, were collected by YouGov -an international online data analysis and market research firm that uses a panel of 1.8 million people to create samples- for five days in March 2017. The survey contained 32 questions divided into four categories: physical health; mental health; behaviors that subjects regretted and social or lifestyle costs; and delved into how people perceive politics as the source of the problems they were experiencing.
The study delved into how people perceive politics as the source of the problems they were experiencing.
Among the findings of the study, Smith’s team has revealed that:
- 11.5% of those surveyed admitted that politics had negatively affected their physical health
- 31.8% stated that exposure to the media that promoted points of view contrary to personal beliefs was a strong source of heat, exaltation or enervation.
- 29.3% on the other hand admitted to having lost their temper as a result of the policy.
- 1 in 5 respondents also claimed that some of their friendships had been damaged due to differences over political ideas.
- And 22.1% admitted that they care too much about who wins and who loses the elections.
“Politics is really negatively affecting the lives of many people, or at least they are perceiving that politics is negatively affecting their lives in profound and significant ways.“, says Smith. “Stress is a real phenomenon that can have disastrous effects on health. If politics contributes significantly to the stress levels American adults are experiencing, then it does make sense that there would be an additional effect on health. However, understanding what is causing it can lead us to develop improvement strategies,” she adds.
Stress Across the Ideological Spectrum
Perceptions of political stress arose more in those surveyed who placed themselves on the left side of the political spectrum, which on the other hand, can be considered consistent given the results of the last North American elections. “One of the things we’re really interested in is: what if a very left-leaning person is chosen to sit in the Oval Office of the White House? Would the symptoms remain, but would they change over time? ideological spectrum? Posted by the researcher.
Negative Memories: A Path to Depression
Because the study is the first of its kind, Smith and his co-authors plan to republish the survey in the future and are already helping academics conduct similar research. “I think it’s vitally important that we expose this to other political scientists,” Smith said. “We have already given it to a couple of psychologists so that they can include it in some of the surveys they are doing, so we will soon begin to have a clearer idea of the real dimension of the problem” concludes the researcher.
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