Whose Health Deserves Investment? Hidden Consensus in a Crowdfunding Conjoint Experiment

How do Americans assess whose health deserves investment? In pre-registeredhypotheses grounded in 170 qualitative interviews, we predict that Americans evaluatedeservingness based on perceptions of individuals’ (1) control over their health, (2)financial need, and (3) contributions to society. Using a nationally representativeprobability survey, we test these hypotheses through a conjoint experiment, examiningdeservingness criteria in medical crowdfunding and generic government assistancescenarios. Despite intense polarization, both Democrats and Republicans assesspatients’ deservingness in line with the predicted criteria of control and need, whetherdistributing hypothetical crowdfunding donations or government funding. They divide,however, in assessments of which racial and ethnic groups are more deserving. Amidgrowing recognition of structural racism and its impacts on health, Democrats,including white Democrats, prioritize patients of color. Beyond this important exception,Americans share several underlying, core values in assessing healthcaredeservingness, which could shape messaging strategies for promoting health equity.