“Must Be a Tuesday”: Affect, Attribution, and Geographic Variability in Equity-Oriented Visualizations of Population Health Disparities

Two example of charts tested. On the left a horizontal dot chart with 4 rows, each with a different mean. On the right a horizontal bar chart showing the same data but no individual dots.
Two examples of stimuli charts, as either bars or geo-emph charts, showing crude mortality rates for heart or liver disease, for letters groups. In this study we also test these charts with race groups instead of letter groups.
Abstract
This study examines the impacts of public health communications visualizing risk disparities between racial and other social groups. It compares the effects of traditional bar charts to an alternative design emphasizing geographic variability with differing annotations and jitter plots. Whereas both visualization designs increased perceived vulnerability, behavioral intent, and policy support, the geo-emphasized charts were significantly more effective in reducing personal attribution biases. The findings also reveal emotionally taxing experiences for chart viewers from marginalized communities. This work suggests a need for strategic reevaluation of visual communication tools in public health to enhance understanding and engagement without reinforcing stereotypes or emotional distress
Materials
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Authors
Eli Holder
Citation

Khoury Vis Lab — Northeastern University
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