Obesity is a problem in many countries around the world. New research from the University of Bristol reminds us, however, that our views on the topic are far from uniform, and are instead heavily linked with our political views.

The researchers explain that people with obesity experience a wide range of discrimination and shaming in their lives. Indeed, the issue is so serious that it’s now accepted as a public health concern that’s linked with mental health and a reluctance to engage with medical professionals on other issues.

Social issues

The researchers wanted to understand how these attitudes toward obesity form, and in particular the role played by our political values, our demographics, and attitudes toward things like welfare in general.

“How we think about obesity is closely tied up with how we think about other political issues, and views about people claiming welfare, who are often associated with obesity in public and political discourse,” the researchers explain.

“Tackling weight stigma—and other kinds of stigma—may be more effective if we recognize these links, and acknowledge the political context in which stigma happens.”

Attitudes toward weight

The researchers asked more than 2,000 British adults of different ages about their attitudes toward weight and obesity. The researchers considered things like their background, how much money they had, their own weight and health, and what they thought caused obesity.

The study also looked at how people’s political beliefs and views about people who receive welfare, which is government support, might affect their attitudes toward weight and obesity. The researchers also wanted to see if things like a person’s weight, their beliefs, and their values could explain why some groups of people had more negative views about weight and obesity.

What they found, after taking into account people’s age and gender, was that people who had more authoritarian beliefs (meaning they prefer strict rules and obedience), more right-leaning economic views, and more negative opinions about those who receive welfare tended to have more negative attitudes toward weight and obesity.

Linked together

The study was the first of its kind to look at how different political beliefs might be linked to weight stigma, and it was also the first to see if there was a connection between negative views about welfare recipients and attitudes toward weight and obesity, using data from a national survey.

It also confirmed some things we already knew: that women tend to have less negative attitudes about weight than men, that people with higher body weight themselves and those who were not happy with their own weight were less critical of others, and that older people were less judgmental about weight than younger or older adults. It also found that people with higher incomes and those with moderate levels of education and occupational status were more likely to have negative attitudes about weight.

Additionally, the researchers looked into why some groups of people were more likely to have negative attitudes about weight than others. They found that differences in people’s own body weight, their beliefs about what causes obesity, their views on welfare recipients, and their support for strict rules and authority all played a part in shaping these attitudes.

The researchers now want to see if these findings apply to other countries where the way people talk about obesity and marginalized groups might be different.