Two main changes made doctors less right-wing than they were in the '50s:
(1) Exogenous demographics: Doctors in the 1950s were all white men. Nowadays, there are more women, and nonwhites and first- and second-generation immigrants, particularly Asians, are well-represented in medicine.
(2) Changes in the structure of healthcare: Doctors in the 1950s were essentially businessmen - they owned their private medical practices and while they were bound by ethical and professional guidelines, they were ultimately interested in maximizing their profits. Nowadays, someone graduating from medical school will most likely be hired by a large hospital or healthcare group as a salaried employee. And at the end of the day, the Democratic Party is the party for employees, and the Republican Party is the party for business owners.
1. Were doctors all Protestant in the 1950s, and are more doctors Jewish and Catholic today?
2. Did doctors being businessmen in the 1950s make them more fearful of “socialized medicine” than they are today?
