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Framing Environmental Health  
Public understanding of environmental health greatly advanced by values frames, according to new survey

When reasoning about social problems, Americans are quick to point to individual-level causes and solutions. This perspective makes it difficult to engage in productive conversations about population-level concerns - such as the role of environmental conditions in people's health.

In a recent survey of 2,600 registered voters in the United States, FrameWorks shows how one value in particular - Fairness Across Places - counters people's tendency to focus at the individual level and, as a result, makes it easier to appreciate why promoting healthy environments and reducing harm associated with environmental hazards is a public responsibility.

This research was conducted in partnership with the American Public Health Association, with funding from the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health. The full report is available at FrameWorks' website. It is part of a multi-year research project to map the gaps between public and experts understandings of environmental health, analyze how media coverage intersects with public thinking, and provide recommendations for how the people working in the field of environmental health can reframe this discussion. Stay up to date on our latest findings by subscribing to FrameWorks online.