Montez-led study linking state policies to life expectancy in LATimes
Could where you live dictate how long you live? A new study led by Professor of Sociology Jennifer Karas Montez, published in the Milbank Quarterly,
illustrates how state-level policies impact life expectancy, with residents of blue states living longer on average than their red state counterparts. “The difference between the highest and lowest life expectancy states has grown to 7.0 years—the
largest ever recorded.”
Montez tells the Los Angeles Times, “When we look at what is happening with life expectancy, the tendency is to focus on individual explanations about what Americans are doing,” she said, noting obesity and smoking behaviors as well as drug
use. “But state policies are so important.” She is quoted in the article
People live longer in blue states than red; new
study points to impact of state policies.
More coverage:
WAER: SU Maxwell Professor: State Policies Driving Gaps in Life Expectancy
Daily Democrat: Liberal policies, like
California’s, keep blue-state residents living longer, study finds