Reform voters more likely to live in areas with health problems, study suggests
New analysis has suggested that people living in areas with poorer health are more likely to vote for Reform UK.
Experts from Imperial College London examined voting data from the 2024 general election, in which Nigel Farage’s party won five seats in England, and found that three in five constituencies producing Reform MPs (60 per cent) were in the poorest fifth of the country, compared to 103 (29.7 per cent) for Labour.
The study, published in BMJ Open Respiratory Research, found that the strongest links between voting for Mr Farage’s party and conditions in their constituencies were related to obesity, COPD and epilepsy.
Areas that voted on reform had the highest proportion of people over 65, and people were more likely to suffer from 15 out of 20 health problems compared to other areas.
The diseases included asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease, coronary heart disease, dementia, depression, diabetes, learning disability, arthritis and obesity.
The researchers said the main finding of their analysis was “the relationship between measures of poor health at the electoral level and votes for Reform UK” and that the results were consistent with US data showing “a relationship between measures of poor health and votes for Republicans”.
They said the analysis should show Reform policymakers that “there are deep health problems in their constituencies that need to be addressed”.
They also noted that the period of austerity in the UK had been “aggravated” by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had contributed to “the fact that many people with long-term lung conditions are missing out on key aspects of care”, which could increase frustration with the status quo.
Three of the five areas electing Reform MPs in summer 2024 were coastal: Great Yarmouth, Clacton, Boston and Skegness. The researchers highlighted a previous report that noted coastal areas are known to have older populations with long-term conditions.
Independent Reform UK has been contacted for comment.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “This government has put the NHS on the path to recovery after more than a decade of decline.
“We made five million extra appointments, reduced waiting lists by more than 200,000 and recruited 2,000 more GPs.
“Alongside the extra £26bn we are investing this year, we are modernizing healthcare to give patients more control over their healthcare, including the ability to book GP appointments online this month.”
