TABLE 1—
Characteristics of Mayor and Health Commissioner Respondents and Opinions About Health Disparities: United States, 2016
| Characteristic and Opinion | Mayor sample (n = 230), % | Health commissioner sample (n = 305), % |
| Individual characteristics | ||
| Time in professional position, y | ||
| < 3 | 31.1 | 31.6 |
| ≥ 3 | 68.9 | 68.4 |
| Highest education level* | ||
| College or less | 44.7 | 15.6 |
| Master’s degree | 40.6 | 55.1 |
| Doctoral degree | 14.6 | 29.2 |
| Social ideology* | ||
| Liberal | 44.7 | 59.1 |
| Moderate | 32.0 | 26.2 |
| Conservative | 23.3 | 14.6 |
| Fiscal ideology* | ||
| Liberal | 13.7 | 26.6 |
| Moderate | 27.4 | 32.9 |
| Conservative | 58.9 | 40.5 |
| Opinions about health disparities | ||
| Agree that health disparities exist in their city* | ||
| Strongly disagree | 0.9 | 0.0 |
| Disagree | 4.6 | 2.3 |
| Agree | 53.0 | 36.2 |
| Strongly agree | 41.6 | 61.1 |
| Believe that health disparities in their city are avoidable* | ||
| Not at all avoidable | 4.1 | 2.0 |
| Somewhat avoidable | 73.1 | 62.8 |
| Very avoidable | 22.4 | 34.6 |
| Believe that health disparities in their city are unfair* | ||
| Very unfair | 32.9 | 52.5 |
| Somewhat unfair | 38.4 | 33.2 |
| Somewhat fair | 22.4 | 10.6 |
| Very fair | 4.1 | 2.3 |
| Believe that city policies can have impacts on health disparities in their city* | ||
| No impact | 3.7 | 0.7 |
| Little impact | 26.5 | 7.3 |
| Some impact | 47.9 | 47.5 |
| Major impact | 21.9 | 44.5 |
| Believe that factor has very strong effect on health disparitiesa | ||
| Income* | 67.6 | 82.7 |
| Health insurance* | 64.8 | 55.8 |
| Education* | 61.6 | 76.7 |
| Health knowledge* | 58.9 | 46.5 |
| Housing quality* | 44.3 | 64.8 |
| Stress* | 43.8 | 66.8 |
| Where a person lives* | 40.6 | 69.4 |
| Genetics* | 28.3 | 19.3 |
a
Rating of 8, 9, or 10 on 0–10 point scale.
*
χ2 P ≤ .05 for comparison between mayor and health commissioner samples.