New Publication: Aversion to income, ethnic, and geographic-related health inequality

A recent article by Ms. Marie-Anne Boujaoude from the Economics of Global Health and Infectious Diseases Unit (GHID), co-authored with A/Prof Natalie Carvalho, Prof Kim Dalziel, and Prof Nancy Devlin from the University of Melbourne, and Prof Richard Cookson from the University of York, has been published in Social Science & Medicine.

This study investigates Australian public preferences for reducing health inequalities across income, Indigenous, and geographic groups. Using a benefit trade-off exercise administered to a representative sample of Australian adults, the study quantified societal aversion to health inequality. It revealed that the public assigns significantly higher value to health gains for disadvantaged groups compared to more advantaged groups.

The findings emphasize a strong public willingness to prioritize equity in health policy and resource allocation. By providing quantitative evidence on inequality aversion, this research offers critical insights for decision-makers and highlights the potential to incorporate societal preferences systematically into healthcare evaluations and policies.