Reform voters more likely to live in areas with health problems, study suggests

"People living in areas with poorer health outcomes are more likely to vote for Reform UK, new analysis has suggested. Experts at Imperial College London looked at voting data from the 2024 general election, when Nigel Farage's party won five seats in England, and found that three of the five constituencies (60 per cent) returning a Reform MP were in the most deprived fifth of the country, compared with 103 (29.7 per cent) of Labour constituencies."

"The study, published in BMJ Open Respiratory Research, found that the strongest links between voting for Mr Farage's party and conditions in constituencies were for obesity, COPD and epilepsy. Reform-voting areas had the highest proportion of people aged over 65, and people were more likely to suffer from 15 out of 20 health conditions compared to other regions. The illnesses included asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease, coronary heart disease, dementia, depression, diabetes, learning disabilities, arthritis and obesity."

An analysis of 2024 general election voting data found that Reform UK won five seats in England, with three of those constituencies located in the country's most deprived fifth. Constituencies returning Reform MPs showed higher prevalence of numerous health conditions, notably obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and epilepsy. Reform-voting areas had the highest proportion of residents aged over 65 and were more likely to experience 15 of 20 measured health conditions, including asthma, chronic kidney disease, coronary heart disease, dementia, depression, diabetes, learning disabilities, arthritis and obesity. The main finding was an association between poorer population health and voting for Reform UK.

Read at www.independent.co.uk