Unequal income distribution may shorten lives because it degrades civic cohesion. They found that in states with high mortality, such as those of the Southeast, trust in others is low and that in states with low mortality, such as Minnesota, North Dakota and Utah, trust is high. Others, such as Harvard researcher Christopher J. L. Murray , hold that the best approach is to rely on public health measures. Atlas of United States Mortality. National Center for Health Statistics, Washington, D.C., 1996.
Deaths are from all causes.