Does early-life income inequality predict self-reported health in later life? Evidence from the United States. (March 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lillard, Dean R.; Burkhauser, Richard V.; Hahn, Markus H.; Wilkins, Roger
• Is Part Of: Social science & medicine. Volume 128(2015)
• Page Start: 347
• Page End: 355
• Publication Date: 2015-03
• Subjects: U.S. -- Income inequality -- Self-reported health -- Early-life conditions -- Adult health -- Health Economics -- Income Inequality -- Life course -- North America -- Probit analysis -- Regression; Social medicine -- Periodicals; Medical anthropology -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; Psychology -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine sociale -- Périodiques; Anthropologie médicale -- Périodiques; Santé publique -- Périodiques; Psychologie -- Périodiques; Médecine -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 362.105
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.12.026
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0277-9536

Abstract

Abstract: We investigate the association between adult health and the income inequality they experienced as children up to 80 years earlier. Our inequality data track shares of national income held by top percentiles from 1913 to 2009. We average those data over the same early-life years and merge them to individual data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics data for 1984–2009. Controlling for demographic and economic factors, we find both men and women are statistically more likely to report poorer health if income was more unequally distributed during the first years of their lives. The association is robust to alternative specifications of income inequality and time trends and remains significant even when we control for differences in overall childhood health. Our results constitute prima facie evidence that adults' health may be adversely affected by the income inequality they experienced as children. Highlights: We related income inequality experienced as a child to health reported as an adult. Inequality measured as the top 1% of tax units' share of total taxable income. Inequality measured annually from 1913 to 2009. Current poor health more likely if experienced greater childhood inequality. Results are robust to controls for time trends, demographic and economic factors.