"... Take up thy bed, and vote." Measuring the relationship between voting behaviour and indicators of health

In most countries health policy is an important part of the political agenda. Yet few studies have examined the relationship between the two. This study investigates the association between health and voter turnout in Britain using the National Child Development Study. Self-rated general health, the Malaise Inventory score and indicators of smoking and alcohol consumption, as measured at ages 23, 33 and 42, are regressed on voter turnout in the 1979, 1987 and 1997 general elections. The results indicate that individuals with poor general and mental health and smokers are less likely to vote at election time.