Cost-Cutting at Your Health’s Expense: Survey Results

After finding an apparent correlation between the health of the economy and the health of the people, a survey was born to see just how people are affected and what they have been giving up at the cost of their health.

Thirty-one people took a survey called Money and Your Health: Are They Related?

Participant ages are broken down as follows:

As you can see, this survey is heavily weighted by responders in their twenties — 80 percent of responders were between 21-30 years old.

The highest percentage of responders (44 percent) claimed they would never sacrifice having health insurance to save some money, but responders who have already given up health insurance in times of financial stress came in a close second (32 percent)!

Similarly, a large number of responders would put off going to the doctor when they are sick (46 percent):

Most responders were willing to give up over-the-counter (OTC) medicine and vitamins durning times of financial hardship.  Only four responders would actually give up prescription medicine.

Perhaps it has something to do with the young age of the majority of the responders, but an overwhelming majority (62 percent) of participants stated that their physical fitness levels are not affected by their financial situations.

Participants cited free gym memberships, increased bike-riding, active jobs, and finding creative ways to exercise as ways that they retain consistent levels of physical fitness.

The correlation between finances and mental health was a bit harder for participants to identify in their own lives:

Several participants responded that they eat worse when they have less money, forgoing fruits and vegetables for cheaper “junk food.”

Yet, before health insurance companies and medical professionals descend into the depths of mass panic, there is still a strong contingent of respondents who put their health before anything else, refusing to cut insurance or doctor visits.  However, for every one of those people, there is someone else who is willing to sacrifice his/her health in the name of some extra cash.