TY - JOUR
T1 - Differential survival in Europe and the United States
T2 - Estimates based on subjective probabilities of survival
AU - Delavande, Adeline
AU - Rohwedder, Susann
N1 - Funding agency: NIA NIH HHS; grant nr. P01 AG008291, P01AG08291, P30 AG012815
PY - 2011/11/1
Y1 - 2011/11/1
N2 - Cross-country comparisons of differential survival by socioeconomic status (SES) are useful in many domains. Yet, to date, such studies have been rare. Reliably estimating differential survival in a single country has been challenging because it requires rich panel data with a large sample size. Cross-country estimates have proven even more difficult because the measures of SES need to be comparable internationally. We present an alternative method for acquiring information on differential survival by SES. Rather than using observations of actual survival, we relate individuals' subjective probabilities of survival to SES variables in cross section. To show that subjective survival probabilities are informative proxies for actual survival when estimating differential survival, we compare estimates of differential survival based on actual survival with estimates based on subjective probabilities of survival for the same sample. The results are remarkably similar. We then use this approach to compare differential survival by SES for 10 European countries and the United States. Wealthier people have higher survival probabilities than those who are less wealthy, but the strength of the association differs across countries. Nations with a smaller gradient appear to be Belgium, France, and Italy, while the United States, England, and Sweden appear to have a larger gradient.
AB - Cross-country comparisons of differential survival by socioeconomic status (SES) are useful in many domains. Yet, to date, such studies have been rare. Reliably estimating differential survival in a single country has been challenging because it requires rich panel data with a large sample size. Cross-country estimates have proven even more difficult because the measures of SES need to be comparable internationally. We present an alternative method for acquiring information on differential survival by SES. Rather than using observations of actual survival, we relate individuals' subjective probabilities of survival to SES variables in cross section. To show that subjective survival probabilities are informative proxies for actual survival when estimating differential survival, we compare estimates of differential survival based on actual survival with estimates based on subjective probabilities of survival for the same sample. The results are remarkably similar. We then use this approach to compare differential survival by SES for 10 European countries and the United States. Wealthier people have higher survival probabilities than those who are less wealthy, but the strength of the association differs across countries. Nations with a smaller gradient appear to be Belgium, France, and Italy, while the United States, England, and Sweden appear to have a larger gradient.
KW - Cross-country comparison
KW - Differential mortality
KW - Differential survival
KW - Subjective probabilities
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=82355171410&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s13524-011-0066-8
DO - 10.1007/s13524-011-0066-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 22042664
AN - SCOPUS:82355171410
SN - 0070-3370
VL - 48
SP - 1377
EP - 1400
JO - Demography
JF - Demography
IS - 4
ER -