About two-thirds of adults agree that the U.S. should prioritize eliminating health inequities for everyone, a survey finds.
Photo by Giselleflissak, courtesy iStockphoto
Americans are more united than divided about wanting a country that makes health equity a priority, a recent survey finds.
More than two-thirds of adults agree that the U.S. should prioritize eliminating health inequities for everyone, according to new survey results from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing's Institute for Policy Solutions.
The nationally representative survey, released in February, found that 70% of adults believe health care is a right and not a privilege, and 75% of adults feel everyone should have access to health care regardless of their ability to pay. More than 20% surveyed said they delayed health care in the past year due to costs, and nearly 14% said they struggled to pay for the care they got.
“The majority of people agree that we need to prioritize as a nation eliminating those unjust, unfair, preventable negative outcomes, that cluster in groups that oftentimes are the furthest from the opportunity, that are marginalized or minoritized,” institute executive director Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MPH, told The Nation's Health. “I think that was something that, if you just kind of listened to kind of a lot of the rhetoric, you wouldn't think that the country was as clear.”
The findings come in the wake of Trump administration actions to erase work on equity in the U.S. Since taking the reins of the nation last year, the administration has canceled programs and funding and fired workers that work on the topic.
Conversations around health inequity often center around race and ethnicity, as people of color in marginalized populations tend to have poorer health outcomes, said Steven Woolf, MD, MPH, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. But health equity also includes large gaps in health based on income, education and place of residence, he said.
Many right-leaning communities supporting the Trump administration's push to eliminate programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion are affected by inequities themselves, Woolf said.
“The sad thing is a lot of the programs and research projects that were canceled as a result of the anti-DEI movement are actually cutting funding for services and research that would help them,” Woolf told The Nation's Health. “They're struggling to make ends meet. They may live in communities — especially if they're in rural farming or ranching communities — where access to care is very poor. They are suffering from inequities.”
The survey shows that people who experience inequities firsthand are more supportive of solutions that take their lived experiences into account, Guilamo-Ramos said.
“That's critical, because sometimes some of the identity stuff has been a little bit of a lightning rod and what's true is that the minoritized and marginalized groups are most likely to have inequity,” Guilamo-Ramos said. “What's also true is that it could happen to other groups. And if it's happened to you irrespective of which group you're a part of, you want to be seen and you want a solution.”
Such surveys help reiterate the narrative that all Americans want the same thing, said Angelica Hardee, PhD, MCHES, a leader on health equity who is chair-elect of APHA's Community Health Planning and Policy Development Section. The need for preventive care has not changed either — 81% of participants surveyed said the health system should prioritize keeping people healthy and preventing illness.
“We're not going to stop focusing on preventing illness,” Hardee told The Nation's Health. “We're not going to stop trying to implement policies that are going to help us as a population as a whole. So I think it's a great reminder to keep going.”
The survey is part of the institute's Bridging our Divide campaign, which has a goal of sharing evidence that counters anti-equity messages, convening partners that promote eliminating inequities and demonstrating why achieving health equity is important for everyone and not specific groups. A series of meetings with health experts, thought leaders and more is planned over the next few years to discuss eliminating disparities across major public health issues, such as behavioral health and substance use.
For more information on the 2025 National Health Inequities Survey, visit www.nursing.jhu.edu.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
