Working Paper: NBER ID: w22199
Authors: Janet Currie; Hannes Schwandt
Abstract: Analysts who have concluded that inequality in life expectancy is increasing have generally focused on life expectancy at age 40 to 50. However, we show that among infants, children, and young adults, mortality has been falling more quickly in poorer areas with the result that inequality in mortality has fallen substantially over time. This is an important result given the growing literature showing that good health in childhood predicts better health in adulthood and suggests that today’s children are likely to face considerably less inequality in mortality as they age than current adults. \nWe also show that there have been stunning declines in mortality rates for African-Americans between 1990 and 2010, especially for black men. The fact that inequality in mortality has been moving in opposite directions for the young and the old, as well as for some segments of the African-American and non-African-American populations argues against a single driver of trends in mortality inequality, such as rising income inequality. Rather, there are likely to be multiple specific causes affecting different segments of the population.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: J11
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| mortality among infants, children, and young adults in poorer areas (I14) | reduction in mortality inequality (I14) |
| good health in childhood (I19) | better health in adulthood (I12) |
| mortality among adults aged 50 and over in wealthier areas (I14) | increased mortality inequality (I14) |
| declines in mortality rates for African Americans (I14) | positive trend in health outcomes for this demographic (I14) |