PHILADELPHIA, Oct 20, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- People given the same
information can come away with very different opinions depending on whether they
lean right or left politically, U.S. researchers found.
Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System said when given
information on the genetic factors that cause diabetes, both Democrats and
Republicans equally supported public health policies to prevent the disease.
However, Republicans were less supportive of healthcare policies after reading
news reports that people with diabetes got their illness because of social or
economic factors, such as lack of neighborhood grocery stores or safe places to
exercise. Knowledge of social factors increased Democrats' support, the
researchers said.
"When people are given the same information they can come away with very
different opinions," Sarah E. Gollust of the University of Pennsylvania, who
worked on the study during her doctoral work at University of Michigan, said in
a statement.
Study participants viewed news articles about type 2 diabetes on the Internet
and then answered questions about their opinions on health policy and their
attitudes about people with diabetes.
When each viewed an article on the links between social and neighborhood factors
and diabetes, 32 percent of Democrats agreed with social factors' role on health
compared to 16 percent of Republicans.
The findings are published in the American Journal of Public Health.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International