WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Using arguments about the social benefits of healthcare reform may galvanize Democrats but they leave Republicans cold, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.

Politicians seeking support for new regulations and laws aimed at improving health may need to carefully frame their arguments for each audience, the researchers reported in the American Journal of Public Health.

They set up an experiment that showed Republicans and Democrats alike supported measures to reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes.

But the Republicans lost enthusiasm when the researchers presented arguments about how hard it is for people to exercise and eat right when streets have no sidewalks and fast-food restaurants abound, Sarah Gollust of the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues found.

Why Americans Disagree About Healthcare Reform – ABC News