Although structural sexism in state-level institutions is harmful to women's and men's health, less is known about how micro-level structural sexism relates to well-being. Using the 2017 and 2021 Gallup Values and Beliefs of the American Public surveys (N = 1,501 in 2017; N = 1,248 in 2021), we investigate diverse approaches to internalized sexism. Although we find no significant associations with self-rated health, gender traditionalism is linked to greater depressive and anxiety symptoms for women and men, providing the first population evidence for its universal harm in the United States. Although benevolent sexism shows no associations with mental well-being, hostile sexism is linked to greater symptoms among men. A diminished sense of mastery consistently accounts for these relationships, showing promise as a potential mechanism. These findings are suppressed by political conservatism and religious involvement, both of which lead to reporting greater-rather than diminished-well-being.
In recent decades, naturalization rates among U.S. immigrants have surged as many seek citizenship to regain lost rights and protections. However, the impact of naturalization on immigrants' life outcomes, such as health, remains underexplored in academic research. Challenges arising from selection processes complicate the interpretation of any observed health disparities between naturalized citizens and noncitizens. To address this gap, we link restricted-use data from the 2000 U.S. census to individual Social Security records on citizenship change and death, enabling a 20-year observation of naturalization and mortality. Results from discrete-time hazard analysis of mortality risk reveals a significant protective health effect from naturalization, which increases in magnitude among long-term naturalized citizens. The effect is particularly strong across older ages and among groups with lower education, refugee entry status, Hispanic origin, and health limitations. These findings suggest that naturalization represents an important but stratifying source of institutional support for socially vulnerable immigrants.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the success of public health authorities' strategies to curb the spread of the virus hinged on individuals' voluntary compliance with their directives. This study considers how two components of the cultural authority of public health influenced compliance with health guidelines during the pandemic: (1) individuals' views of public health officials as legitimate and (2) the shared value of health. I also examine the influence of other basic values, alongside health, on pandemic behavior. Data come from an original survey of 1,356 U.S. adults collected online in spring 2022. Findings reveal the pivotal role of perceived legitimacy of public health authorities in motivating compliance, even when considering perceived threat of the virus, political orientation, and other contextual factors. Results provide insight into why people complied with health guidelines by indicating how variation in individuals' value priorities influenced behavior.

