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(PennLive.com/file)

Donald Trump got significantly more votes in areas with high rates of drug addiction, alcohol abuse and suicide, according to a study done by Shannon Monnat, a Penn State researcher who specializes in rural issues.



The high rates of addiction and suicide are considered a strong indicator of "economic despair," which Monnat believes is the major underlying factor in the strong support for Trump.



Monnat looked at voting and demographic data for 3,106 counties, Penn State research writer Matt Swayne wrote in an article published in the Centre Daily Times.



Economic distress is based on rates of things including unemployment, uninsured adults, disability, single-parent homes and homes receiving public assistance.



Economic distress runs high in much of the midwest, Appalachia and New England.



Swayne wrote: "Trump garnered more support in many areas where former Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney struggled against President Barack Obama in the 2012 campaign. He outperformed Romney in 2,469 of the 3,106 counties included in the study. He did better than Romney in 89 percent of counties in the Industrial Midwest, 91 percent of counties in Appalachia and 69 percent of counties in New England."



The election results show people on those areas continue to want change, Monnat concluded.



"I think Trump's anti-free trade message resonated in these places and his rhetoric was very simple -- Make America great again," Monnat said. "And you have to understand that in some of these places that have experienced widespread decline in manufacturing and extraction and the types of jobs that pay livable wages, people there really feel like America is not so great anymore. I think the message that he was the change candidate really resonated with people in these places."



According to Swayne's article, the mortality rate from drugs, alcohol and suicide is 36 deaths per 100,000 people in the least economically distressed parts of the country. The rate is 49 deaths per 100,000 in the most economically distressed areas.