Where public health meets public opinion: Understanding political support for fluoridation in Calgary, 2021.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To understand variables associated with support for community water fluoridation among ordinary citizens during periods of heightened issue salience, with a particular focus on how support varies on the basis of demographic characteristics, attitudes toward public health science, and political variables such as ideology, populism, and issue salience.

Methods

Statistical analysis of individual-level data from a large-scale survey of eligible voters in the City of Calgary, Alberta in 2021, collected at the time of a community water fluoridation plebiscite.

Results

Survey data (N = 1130) reveal substantively important and statistically significant relationships with fluoridation support in each of our three analysis categories (demographics, public health expe

SUBMITTER: Lucas J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12076985 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature