This report describes the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's National Survey of Health Attitudes, part of the foundation's efforts to build a Culture of Health. The foundation undertook this survey to measure key constructs that could not be measured in other data sources, primarily addressing the action area making health a shared value. This report provides the text of the 2018 survey and summary statistics of the data.

2018 National Survey of Health Attitudes

Description and Top-Line Summary Data

Katherine Grace Carman, Anita Chandra, Sarah Weilant, Carolyn Miller, Margaret Tait

ResearchPublished May 1, 2019

Cover: 2018 National Survey of Health Attitudes
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Since 2013, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has led a pioneering effort to advance a Culture of Health that "enables all in our diverse society to lead healthier lives, now and for generations to come." As part of the work to track progress toward this goal, RAND researchers worked with RWJF to design and field the National Survey of Health Attitudes to provide insight and perspective on how people in the United States think about, value, and prioritize health and consider issues of health equity. The survey was first fielded in 2015, and an updated version was fielded in 2018. This report describes the survey development and provides the text of the 2018 survey and summary statistics of the data.

The foundation undertook this survey to measure key constructs that could not be measured in other data sources, primarily addressing the action area making health a shared value. The questions in this survey sought to measure various constructs, including those that are linked to the building of shared health values including whether respondents (1) recognized the influence of social and physical factors on health, (2) valued investment in community health, and (3) had a sense of community or community connection. Results from the survey indicate that 37 percent of U.S. adults recognized a strong or very strong influence of social and physical factors on health, 28 percent did not consider investment in community health a top priority, 11 percent reported a strong sense of membership in their community, and 19 percent reported a strong emotional connection to their community.

Key Takeaways

2018 National Survey of Health Attitudes

  • 37 percent of U.S. adults recognized a strong or very strong influence of social and physical factors on health.
  • 28 percent did not consider investment in community health a top priority.
  • 64 percent felt it was harder for low-income Americans to get health care, 58 percent felt it was harder for those living in rural communities; 35 percent felt it was harder for African Americans, and 37 percent felt it was harder for Latinos.
  • 11 percent reported a strong sense of membership in their community.
  • 19 percent reported a strong emotional connection to their community.
  • 38 percent reported their community could mostly or completely work together to improve its health.
  • 21 percent reported advocating for a health-related issue in their community.

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Carman, Katherine Grace, Anita Chandra, Sarah Weilant, Carolyn Miller, and Margaret Tait, 2018 National Survey of Health Attitudes: Description and Top-Line Summary Data. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2019. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2876.html.
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This research was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and by the Community Health and Environmental Policy Program within RAND Social and Economic Well-Being.

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